Innovative retail concepts are nothing new to Comme des Garcons, and this season, the label’s director Rei Kawakubo certainly didn’t disappoint, while unveiling her latest project: the Comme des Garçons Trading Museum in Tokyo’s Omotesando area. Designed by Kawakubo, the store features eight vast display cabinets (all on loan from London’s Victoria & Albert’s Museum), featuring such attractions as vintage Stephen Jones hats, Daita Kimura shoes and a selection of bespoke shirts and archive Comme des Garçons pieces. 

“We hope to create a world where there is reason and story behind all the goods we collect, show, display and sell. It will be a place where shopping is not the only objective. It will be a shop where “just looking” will be encouraged and merely being inspired can also be the aim.” 

Running from March 19, an exhibition of thirty-two original punk t shirts coincides with a “Crystal Meets Fashion” display from renowned French crystal manufacturer Baccarat, creating a rich cultural background for the collections on sale.

Words by Kasia Bobula