The next best thing to a buying trip in Japan — for consumers and retailers alike — might be the Toyko Sense pop-up in Paris showcasing 29 mostly under-the-radar brands across fashion, home and personal care.
Open daily from Sunday to July 7 at 16 Rue des Minimes, the retail showcase comes courtesy of Japanese retailer and developer Lumine Co. Ltd., which conscripted Berlin specialty retailer Andreas Murkudis to curate the merchandise selection.
According to Teruyuki Omote, president and chief executive officer of Lumine, it’s the latest step on to the international stage for the company, which already operates a flagship in Singapore in addition to its 16 commercial centers in Japan.
“We didn’t come here simply to test the waters: We came to translate the refined sensibility, craftsmanship, and ways of living that Japan has cultivated over centuries into the Parisian context — and to begin a genuine dialogue with the world,” Omote said in an interview conducted via email.
For independent designers and small-scale artisans, stepping onto a global stage like Paris “presents real challenges — logistics, distribution and cost among them,” Omote said. “By stepping in as a strong business hub and taking on those burdens, we allow makers to focus entirely on what they do best: bringing their creativity to life.”
Lumine conscripted Murkudis to curate the pop-up because of his “ability to identify what is truly essential” and to translate Japan’s aesthetic sensibility into “something that speaks to contemporary life,” Omote said.
Teruyuki Omote and Andreas Murkudis
Courtesy of Lumine
Murkudis said he bypassed the big, known designer brands from Japan, headlined by the likes of Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and Comme des Garçons. “The idea was to not be too expensive and to surprise the customers,” he said in an interview.
“It’s easy to come to the store and buy nice things for 20 euros, 30 euros, 50 euros, 100 euros,” he said, noting that retail prices would start around 4 euros, maxing out around 800 euros. “It’s really affordable things, but the quality is amazing, because I think 70 percent of the brands we have already in the [Berlin] store, and I have them also at home, so I know about the quality.”
Murkudis put the accent on everyday styles from such fashion brands as Aton, Batoner, Fetico, Ikiji and Kaptain Sunshine, along with more fashion-forward options from Dressedundresssed and Ujoh, which presents during Paris Fashion Week. Jewelry, beauty products, tableware, ceramics and books round out the selections.
Among newer discoveries is Auttaa, a footwear brand founded in 2010 and rooted in a minimal aesthetic and careful handwork. “The price is something like 250 [euros] retail. I have them. I bought them last year, they’re wonderful,” he enthused.
A style from Auttaa.
MOON_INTERNATIONAL
Murkudis is also excited to showcase a range of household and hair brushes by Edoya, founded in 1718. “It’s the first time they sell something outside of Japan,” he said. “It took a lot of time to convince them to sell to us.”
A common thread across the varied vendors is vertical integration, which allows them to wholesale their goods without extra margin from external links in their supply chains, Murkudis said.
The showcase is meant to be as rich for multibrand retailers who descend on Paris in search of new vendors. Tokyo Sense produced a newspaper, which lists 27 showrooms in the French capital that wholesale Japanese brands, including nine that are showcased at the pop-up.
“I’m happy to support them, because I love Japan, and I love all these Japanese brands,” Murkudis said. “I like the quality, and they’re always so helpful.”
Murkudis said he’s also importing about half a dozen staffers from his Berlin emporium to work the floor at Toyko Sense.
A look from Kaptain Sunshine.
Courtesy of Tokyo Sense
“I want to make it really successful. That’s why I choose the right people, because they know already the brands, and they can explain them to customers.”
Omote made it clear Lumine is not chasing short-term sales or riding the wave of heightened interest in Japan.
“For the buyers, editors and professionals who gather in Paris during fashion week, we hope to offer something unexpected — a meeting point between Japan’s exceptional craftsmanship and a contemporary sensibility that feels genuinely new,” he said. “For the people who live in Paris, and for those visiting the city, we hope it becomes a place to discover fresh inspiration and new ways of living within the everyday.”
Indeed, Omote said he would measure success based on long-term, enduring criteria.
“It means seeing the Japanese brands we have carefully selected become a genuine part of the daily lives of the world’s most discerning people — not as a trend, but as something loved and lived with for generations to come,” he said.
A shirt by Nomat.
Courtesy of Moon International
What’s more, “the recognition earned here in Paris is something we want to carry back. Back to the artisans working quietly across Japan; back to the young talents who will shape what comes next.
“To invigorate Japan through creativity, and through that, to bring something meaningful to the world — that is everything I am putting into this,” he added.
That the pop-up occurs during men’s fashion week in Paris was deliberate — and around a third of the brands are fashions targeted at men.
“During this period, Paris is filled with an exceptional concentration of creativity and professional energy. Press, designers and creatives from around the world converge here, crossing borders to be part of something vital,” Omote said. “This felt like the most meaningful stage on which to introduce Tokyo Sense — and to share a new perspective from Lumine with a global audience.”
Lumine has indicated it’s planning future iterations of Tokyo Sense. “From the connections made here, we hope to develop something that continues to grow — across different places, partnerships and possibilities,” Omote said.
Inside the Tokyo Sense pop-up in Paris.
MOON_INTERNATIONAL
AloJapan.com