Keisuke Kanda has kicked off a limited-time event, "Keisuke Kanda to Shinjuku Isetan," in the TOKYO Kaihoku (Liberation Zone) on the second floor of the Isetan Shinjuku Main Building. It runs until the 24th.
The venue, themed around a department store, pays homage to Isetan through designer Keisuke Kanda. At the entrance, a vending machine featuring cloth bags modeled after the iconic tartan shopper bag of Isetan Shinjuku is installed. Inside the store, the creative unit MAGMA has lined the store with retro-designed fixtures specially designed for the occasion. Items from the main collection, one-of-a-kind dresses, and remade vintage clothing are displayed on hangers and poles reminiscent of clotheslines.
The event also saw the debut of collaboration products with "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon," celebrating its 20th anniversary. The event will feature a Sailor Moon version of the "Paper Apron" exhibited at the "Futere Beauty: The Future of Japanese Fashion" exhibition held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo last year, matching Sailor Moon "Cosplay Socks," and a "Sailor Moon Pillow Bag" tote bag with a pillow-like design made from Sailor Moon-patterned fabric. Also on sale are new T-shirts and bags from the "First Love Terrifier" series, the first in two years, and the "Ribbon Warrior" plastic model kit for girls. Three new colors of the "Shock of White" paper bags from the Feature Beauty exhibition are already on sale. The event was directed by Yamaguchi Sota, director of the select shop "Mikiri Hasshin." According to the Isetan buyer, the idea began to take shape in April of last year, and it took about a year and five months to bring it to fruition. "In 1998, when I was 21 years old, I admired Vivienne Westwood and went to the first floor of the Isetan Shinjuku store to buy up all her handkerchiefs. I used them as bandanas, put them in my shirt pockets, and incorporated them into my everyday outfits. Back then, I would wander around the handkerchief section on the first floor, and although I didn't have the courage to go up to the upper floors, I dreamed of one day taking the escalator up to the upper floors. 15 years have passed since then, and my wish has finally come true in this 'holy land,'" Kanda Keisuke passionately shares his feelings.