A reception party was held on the evening of the 9th, the day before the opening, and many guests came to celebrate, including Iwata Takanori (Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS from EXILE TRIBE, EXILE) and Saito Takumi.


Takanori Iwata / Photo by Masashi Akiba © FASHION HEADLINE
Iwata, who arrived in all white, laughed and commented, "It's cold, isn't it?" He continued, "The all-white outfit is perfect for the middle of winter...I was surprised at how cold it was today." He continued, speaking of Virgil's first collection, "It has a stronger street feel, and the little details are interesting. There are elements like the vest (which Iwata is wearing), the neon-colored shoelaces (on his sneakers), and the use of chains on bags, so while it has the timeless elements of Louis Vuitton to date, I think it's a pretty challenging collection." Impressed by his preview of the pop-up store just before the event, he said, "It's spectacular. It gets me excited just looking at it. I went to see the Paris show in June, and when I saw the items that shocked me then actually lined up in the store, I was captivated by the details of the items back then." He excited the press by saying, "It's cold, so I want to go to the public bath (laughs)," but then took off his jacket to show off his inner shirt and vest styling, and smiled, saying, "It's colder than you all. Please stay warm."

Takanori Iwata / Photo by Masashi Akiba © FASHION HEADLINE

Takumi Saito / Photo by Masashi Akiba © FASHION HEADLINE

Okamoto Rage (OKAMOTO'S) / Photo by Masashi Akiba © FASHION HEADLINE


Kaneko Nobuaki (RIZE) / Photo by Masashi Akiba © FASHION HEADLINE


Ryo Narita / Photo by Masashi Akiba © FASHION HEADLINE

Other guests who appeared at the photocall included VERBAL (m-flo, PKCZ, HONEST BOYZ), Koseki Yuta, Nakata Keisuke, and Kiyohara Sho. It was a glamorous night celebrating the launch of Virgil's first collection.






Updated: January 9th