Uniqlo is well known for the unusual shapes of its stores around the world, but in its Tokyo backyard it has worked with local architectural and design practice Curiosity to pull out all the stops for its shop that opened last month.
The 32,755 sq ft Uniqlo Megastore is located near the Japanese capital’s Shinjuku station, at one point reputedly the busiest place on the planet, and seeks to draw in shoppers with an arresting blend of architecture and light.
Externally, this would be hard to miss because of the three display towers at the entrance that are marked out by the illuminated floor, which is studded with inset lights.
Surrounding this, the rest of the facade comprises two surfaces created from dark high-tech-looking brick-style blocks where the mortar is replaced by lit lines and which are arranged in a geometric pattern that meets at a point.
Inside, the aim of the design is to allow Uniqlo stock, rather than the store’s internal landscape, to do the talking. This means that almost all the interior is white, including the walls, the floor and the equipment on which the merchandising takes place, allowing the brightly coloured garments to make their appeal to the shopper.
Bright white light adds to the minimalist feel, which has a sense of store design from the 1990s, although doubtless the rationale would be that this is an updating of that architectural style or perhaps that it never went away.
The store is another example of a retailer that continues to concentrate on creating individual stores, rather than rolling out cookie-cutter formats.
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