Monday evening, the day before the big fashion show, held in Beijing, Alexander Wang arrived at Balenciaga’s first flagship in Tokyo, Japan. The store is located in the Aoyama area – an area known for its sense of fashion, featuring brand names stores such as Prada, Comme Des Garcons, and Marc Jacobs, along with the Alexander Wang brand.
The two level story store will eventually be sharing space with an Alexander McQueen store. Enthusiastic about the new add-ons to this stylish area, Wang says “I love the Aoyama neighborhood — my store is also around the corner actually. I think the contrast of it is very localized but also at the same time there’s a very charming, kind of neighborhood quality to the area as well,” Wang continues, “all the most important stores are around here, so I think we’re in really great company.” Balenciaga planned the store’s layout with architect Joseph Dirand, including dark green marble inside and outside of the building, raised ceilings, and embellished stone floors, inspired by the beautiful and serene Japanese tea gardens.
As this was his first visit with Balenciaga, Wang finds Japanese dress up exciting, saying “there’s a real devotion and dedication to getting dressed up here, and I think that’s something that’s always kind of existed in their culture. And there’s a real kind of artistry and experimentalism to it, and that’s what I’ve always loved about visiting Japan, is seeing that kind of individuality…Whether it’s Balenciaga or Wang, it’s always exciting for me to see how things that I create translate onto the street, and how people take it and really make it their own. That’s always been something that has really kind of brought a lot of inspiration and excitement for myself.”
