ZADIG & VOLTAIRE has opened a street-level store in Grasseria Aoyama (5-4-41 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo) in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The store is located on the former site of ANTEPRIMA.
The store is approximately 211 square meters across two floors, the first and second floors, and carries a full line of women's, men's, and children's items. The brand operates in 300 stores worldwide. In Japan, operations were transferred to ZV JAPON, a wholly French subsidiary, in 2010. Currently, the brand operates in 19 stores, including the Aoyama store, Isetan Shinjuku store, Tobu Ikebukuro store, and JR Kyoto Isetan store, but this will be its flagship store in Japan.
The interior of the store combines the brand's rock spirit with Parisian tradition, with a mixture of materials and effective lighting, and features mortar walls with carved decorations, which are also used in Parisian apartments. The fixtures are made of the same steel and white lacquer as the stores in France and around the world. The first floor carries women's clothing and accessories such as hats and bags, while the second floor carries men's and children's clothing, as well as men's bags, watches, belts, and more. A limited edition zebra-print wool stole (33,000 yen) is also on sale. Creative director Cecilia Bonstrom said with a smile, "I'm happy to be able to open in Aoyama, where great brands gather and where you can feel the energy. Japanese women are very edgy and feminine, but they also have a certain rock vibe, so I think the 2014-2015 winter collection suits them well. I think the babydoll-style black dresses, striped knitwear, and leather miniskirts in particular are perfect for Japanese women. In Paris, the collection spread by word of mouth after actress Emmanuelle Beart and others wore it, but I think the best thing is for people in Japan to see people wearing it and think it looks great, and for it to spread by word of mouth as well."
Furthermore, regarding the 15SS collection and her upcoming participation in the Paris Collection, she said, "Creating good products is at the core of everything, and that idea never changes. The reason I participated in the Paris Collection was because I wanted more people to see my work in a good way, and I have no intention of creating designs specifically for the show. I don't forget that it is everyday wear, so I make clothes that I myself would want to wear. I also believe that organization is the most important thing, so although I came to Japan just before the Paris Collection this time, I have already completed all of the final checks for the show, such as fittings. The rest is up to the staff, so there is no problem (laughs)."
