Issey Miyake is opening a new concept store in Tokyo, featuring the work of five young designers, marking the launch of a new men’s line. The new store, dubbed Reality Lab Issey Miyake, occupies a space in the same building as a storefront for another Miyake brand.
The store sells a mixture of merchandise from the Miyake universe including the brand’s range of Bao Bao bags and a line of origami paper lamps produced by the Italian company Artemide. There is also a series of handbags designed in collaboration with Tokyo-based product designer Mike Abelson. The straps of the bags are made of woven paper from Japan’s northern Tohoku region, scene of the 2011 tsunami.
The new store will also carry Homme Plissé, a new men’s brand that is essentially the male version of the company’s Pleats Please line for women. The core of the brand’s product offering will consist of 10 styles of pleated garments, including T-shirts, cardigans and pants, all in four main colors: light gray, dark gray, blue and black. Some items will be available in additional colors, and a few coats and jackets will round out the offering.
