On March 29th, AS International opened its Araisara flagship store, the Araisara Minami-Aoyama Store (6-6-20 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo). The store spans two floors, the first floor and the basement, and has a floor area of 110 square meters.
In January of this year, Araisara moved its collection presentation venue back to Tokyo from Paris Fashion Week. It also announced the establishment of a new company, AS International, to handle the brand's manufacturing and sales, with plans to expand globally to Paris, Beijing, Malaysia, and other locations. President Munetoshi Baba stated, "This flagship store will be Araisara's first global store. The Paris store, scheduled to open next year, and future stores around the world will also use the design of the Minami-Aoyama store as a base."
The interior design of the store, incorporating Sumi-nagashi (sumiraku) patterns, reflects the brand's identity, with a diverse range of woven and dyed patterns and a black-based aesthetic. The first floor carries the full line. While there are no plans for limited-edition items, the store utilizes traditional materials and artisan techniques, so each item will be unique in its materials and colors.

Meanwhile, the basement floor will sell popular items regardless of the season and will also be used as a custom order salon. It will also host various information dissemination events, including exhibitions.
"I want to create a store where customers can relax and enjoy the designs that utilize traditional techniques and the passion of our artisans, as well as the brand's philosophy. We have many male customers," says Arai Sara.

Regarding future developments, President Baba commented, "We plan to limit our direct store in Japan to the Minami-Aoyama store. We would like to open in department stores and other locations where we share our values. In Paris, we would like to first open a direct store, and then sell in department stores and other locations."