Hong Kong select shop "kapok" held the grand opening of its first flagship store in Japan in Harajuku, Tokyo on October 8th. The store is located at 6-13-4 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
Kapok was founded in 2006 by French designer Arnault Castel. Named after the kapok (also known as schefflera), a tree whose countless branches spread high into the sky and provide a home for many animals, the store's concept is to create a unique home where promising young brands can flourish. Focusing on craftsmanship, creativity, and innovation, the store brings together emerging brands from around the world with a unique perspective and selects carefully selected products under the theme of "future classics." Currently, the store operates 11 stores in Asia, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
The first store in Japan, the "Kapok Tokyo Flagship Store," is located one street back from Cat Street. The store chose this location in Harajuku, a place where fashion-conscious people congregate, with the aim of creating a shop where customers can enjoy shopping in a relaxed atmosphere. The approximately 90-square-meter store has a glass façade and uses a lot of wood for its fixtures, creating a bright, spacious, and open atmosphere.
The store offers a wide range of products that encapsulate a multifaceted lifestyle concept, from men's and women's clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, and jewelry to fragrances and household goods. The store also carries a wide selection of brands that are not yet widely available in Japan, such as the urban Korean bag brand IISE, which uses dyeing techniques handed down since the 13th century, Hong Kong jewelry brand COSMIC JUNK, Danish bag and leather goods brand MISMO, and Italian accessories brand Pijama. Other Japanese brands on offer include "THE PITH," a leather goods brand handcrafted by artisans, and "20/80," a simple, functional bag brand. Kapok's original products are also available. The shirts, commissioned from a long-established Hong Kong shirtmaker, are casual yet elegant thanks to meticulous tailoring. "I'm always striving to create an experimental shop that serves as a platform for proposing new styles," says Castel. "I want to support lesser-known, up-and-coming brands. My role and purpose is to travel the world, visiting local shops, and spreading the word about the great brands I discover. I plan to carefully research up-and-coming Japanese brands and expand my selection. Many Japanese customers have visited our Hong Kong store for some time, and I've always felt a connection with their curiosity and knowledge of fashion, even for smaller brands. So I'm very happy to finally be able to open a store in Japan." Castel will also be attending Tokyo Fashion Week. A new store is also scheduled to open in the Yokohama shopping mall "Queens East" on October 10th.
Regarding the future, she commented, "We're not aiming for any grand business expansion. That's because we want to be involved in every detail of the store and the selection, so we absolutely want to avoid turning it into a chain. Since it's a 'personal select shop', I want to run it with a familiar feeling, as if I were expressing my personality or styling my friends. I hope to maintain that pace and gradually increase our name recognition."
To commemorate the grand opening, a "kapok photo booth" campaign will be held in the store from October 9th to 15th. Take photos in the photo booth set up in the store and share them on social media such as Instagram and Facebook to receive a free gift on a first-come, first-served basis.
