On June 7th, details were announced for "ISETAN The Japan Store Kuala Lumpur," a specialty store scheduled to open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this October. The project began with the establishment of a joint venture in Malaysia between the Cool Japan Fund, a public-private fund established in 2013 to support overseas demand development, and the Isetan Mitsukoshi Group. The Isetan Kuala Lumpur LOT10 store, which had previously operated as a department store, will be completely renovated and reconstructed as a new store. "I met with President Onishi the day after the Cool Japan Fund was launched two and a half years ago and discussed the possibility of creating a store entirely dedicated to Cool Japan. After touring ASEAN, we found a store in Kuala Lumpur that was the perfect fit, so we set this project in motion. While there is already a wide range of "Japan" products overseas, what we want to offer is "cool Japan." We believe this is possible with "Isetan Fashion," and we are excited about the opening," said Nobuyuki Ota, CEO of Cool Japan Fund.

The store's environmental design, which will be developed over an area of 11,000 square meters, was undertaken by Noritaka Tange of Tange Associates and Yasumichi Morita of Glamorous, who were responsible for the redevelopment of the women's clothing floor of Isetan Shinjuku Main Store and other areas. Almost all of the six floors will be made up of made-in-Japan products, and each floor will be designed to resemble a Japanese garden, with gazebos each with their own theme arranged to encourage customers to wander around. "The entire building was designed around a single theme: Japan, making it different from your average department store. As an overseas store embodying the slogan 'This is Japan,' we believe it's important to incorporate Japanese culture and style into the lives of local people as new values. To that end, we've clarified our character as a themed store by organizing our store in a different way from the traditional METI classification," explains Nakagawa Isamu, head of the Overseas Merchandising Department at Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings. The products are categorized based on four aesthetics: "Elegant, Stylish, Sen, and Simple," and the store's product categories are a combination of five themes: "Eat, Live, Spend, Enjoy, and Learn." The main entrance on the ground floor, the first floor of the Japanese store, features an gazebo-style installation created in collaboration with architect Tsuyoshi Tane and Kyoto's Chiso, with four elements symbolizing the store's product lineup arranged as an index. The fashion section is designed by Singapore-based creator Theseus Chan, and the general store offers a store-original lifestyle, bringing the collaboration between Asia and Japan to life. The store will also feature luxury goods made with bamboo, paper, lacquer, and other materials, including Fukagawa Seiji and Horiguchi Kiriko, as well as items made with Japan's proud technology.

The first floor will serve as a base for sharing information on Japanese street, pop, and mode culture with ASEAN fashion people, and will feature brands such as MAD STORE UNDERCOVER, Y3, PORTER, Onitsuka Tiger, ANREALAGE, ASOBISYSTEM, STRICT-G, COLOR, TOGA, N. HOLLYWOOD, MAME, MUVEIL, TARO HORIUCHI, and John Lawrence Sullivan. Plans are also underway for a national version of Isetan Shinjuku's Tokyo Liberation Zone, a prefectural liberation zone called "Find Japan," and a Time Out Tokyo cafe. The second floor will offer a lifestyle collection of everyday items made with Japanese materials and techniques, featuring Tokyo Nishikawa's Air, UCHINO, Maruni Wood Industry, NUNO, and Mina Perhonen, as well as cosmetics and well-being products from Shiseido, Cosme Decorte, Albion, and SK-II. It will also house a UKA salon, opening its first store in Asia. The third floor will house a select bookstore, an academy where students can learn about Japanese culture in a traditional Japanese setting, classroom lectures such as an anime creator training course, and a travel salon in collaboration with JTB, all centered around events and culture. The fourth floor will be a restaurant floor, and the basement will feature a food and dine-in area offering suggestions on dining styles. Sales for the first year are expected to reach 12 million Malaysian ringgit (approximately 3.5 billion yen), with 1.4 million customers. "When the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry launched its Cool Japan initiative in 2011, it reaffirmed to the entire company how much we truly understand the value of Japanese products. The Cool Japan initiative has expanded from our traditional sales strategy, JAPAN SENSES, to our corporate message, "This is Japan," making it a high priority for our company. The LOT10 store will be our first store to truly showcase 'cool Japan' as a representative of Japan. For that reason, we are approaching the store with a sense of urgency, and we believe its market reach extends beyond Malaysia to the world. We will not only propose products, but also experiences. In terms of hospitality, six staff members who studied in the United States will train stylists as Team Nadeshiko. We will strive to provide a more attentive and comfortable service than our previous overseas stores," said Taiyo Onishi, President and CEO of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings. Furthermore, prior to the opening of the Kuala Lumpur store, "The Japan Store ISETAN MITSUKOSHI PARIS" is scheduled to open at the end of September, covering 90 square meters, inside the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris. The store design is by Paris-based architect Tsuyoshi Tane, who will also be creating an installation on the ground floor of the Kuala Lumpur store. In conjunction with the store's opening, a presentation of "CHABAKO (tea box)," which was well received at the grand opening of the remodeled Mitsukoshi Ginza store, is planned.

Text: Tatsuya Noda