Fashion architecture may be the perfect form to describe the new Louis Vuitton’s store in Tokyo. Designed by the Japanese studio Jun Aoki & Associates, this store of the French brand specialized in leather goods and located in the Ginza shopping district in the Japanese capital, stands out for its wavy and pearlescent facade that according to the studio was inspired in the city’s bay.

Jun Aoki and Associates explains that this facade was created to give a modern look to this Louis Vuitton storefront in Tokyo. The current building replaces the one previously owned by the brand, which occupied the same corner since 1981.

The seven-story Louis Vuitton Ginza Namiki store has been described by the brand as a “building that interprets the reflections of water as a material phenomenon. At street level, the building reflects the dynamism of Ginza; higher up, neighboring towers become wavy apparitions, while a skyscape sweeps across the glass, marking the passage of each day.”

An iridescent piece of art

Built from two layers of glass that curve and wave like water, the facade of Louis Vuitton’s Tokyo store is covered with a dichroic film to create a pearlescent coloring. But this almost ethereal aspect has a purpose because the store per se is a visual experience.

The entrance door, located in a corner of the ground floor, not only shows the latest collections but also invites the visitor to dive into the interior that’s full of art and inspired by nature, designed by the New York-based studio of architect Peter Marino.

Every floor of the store constitutes an individual world. The first four, dedicated to retail, have pale stone floors with curved panels on the ceilings to add a three-dimensional effect. Throughout the commercial spaces, textured walls, curved surfaces, and a palette based on wood and glass materials fill the space by adding lightness to the interior while reinforcing the marine theme that surrounds the visitor.

The different levels of the store are connected by a central staircase built with sculptural oak and glass that twists around the suspended jellyfish with details of monograms of the brand.

The store also has a secondary staircase at the back that features a similar material palette and is framed by a four-story wall that reinterprets a painting by Japanese artist Kimiko Fujimura and portrays the building’s organic aesthetic.

Leaving nothing to chance

The details of the store definitely stand out. Furniture by Pierre Paulin can be found throughout the store and the distribution of the color palette is divided by genres. Thus, women’s floors exhibit bright pink and orange tones, while men’s floors feature muted reds, blues, and yellows.

Also, the store has a permanent space to exhibit new artists, as well as a VIP area on the sixth floor and Le Café V on the top floor of the building.

Vuitton and Jun Aoki & Associates have acquired a taste to present fashion in this particular way, and as a result, the architectural studio has completed other store projects for the brand such as a flagship store in Osaka wrapped in curved glass sails and the nearby Ginza store that has a perforated facade based on the famous Vuitton monogram.