TOKYO — Tokyu Land Corporation is gearing up to open a striking new shopping and dining complex, which will house a new Tommy Hilfiger store and American Eagle Outfitters’ first store in Japan.
Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku, which will house 27 different retailers, opens on April 18. Architect Takushi Nakamura, the mind behind Lanvin’s Ginza store, designed the building, which is topped by a crown-like structure and a miniature forest of trees. The aim was to create a space where people can be closer to nature while still in the center of the city, developers said at a press conference Thursday.
Most recently the site of a large Gap store, the location has long been at the center of Tokyo’s dynamic fashion scene, ever since many designers and other creative types called the iconic Harajuku Central Apartments home in the Sixties.
“Since the opening of the Harajuku Central Apartments, Jingumae crossing has been at the center of Japanese fashion and culture,” said Kiyoshi Kanazashi, president and chief executive of Tokyu Land.
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A spokesman for Tokyu Land said that the total investment figure for the project amounts to about 60 billion yen, or $780.05 million at current exchange rates.
There will be a total floor space of 127,578 square feet, and retail space will be spread over eight floors. Both Hilfiger and American Eagle will occupy two-story spaces starting on the ground level of the complex. Other tenants include Japanese fashion brands Shel’tter, A-net and Rady and a smaller outpost of Tokyu Hands, the famous and massive DIY and home emporium frequented by tourists and visiting designers.
As reported in late 2010, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. signed a franchise agreement with Sumikin Bussan Corp. to open aerie and American Eagle stores in Japan.