WAKO’S REVAMPED FLAGSHIP STORE BLENDS TRADITION, INNOVATION CONCEPTS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 (Bernama) -- WAKO Co Ltd announced the completion of remodelling its flagship store basement floor in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo's Chuo Ward, set to reopen officially on July 20.

According to a statement, this newly renovated space will exemplify its corporate theme, "AMAZING WAKO" as WAKO is Japan's premier specialty department store, noted for its uncompromising pursuit of refined luxury.

Designed by the New Material Research Laboratory, led by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and architect Tomoyuki Sakakida, the defining concept for this space is the "Theatre of Time", a space for the expression and exchange of a culture that is rich in both tradition and innovation.

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WAKO has always placed great value on the theme of time, underscoring the brand's devotion to creating new value in visitors' lives, hopefully leading to a richer, more enjoyable future.

The basement floor is conceived as a space to showcase designers, craftspeople, and others active at the forefront of fashion, jewellery, modern art, and other creative fields, echoing the aesthetics, culture, and techniques that these professionals have defined Japan since ancient times, while also introducing new brands that bring innovative approaches to these fields.

WAKO's flagship store is a Ginza icon and in redesigning the basement floor, it settled on the theme 'Stage and Corridor', where the centre of the space is a stage with long and short 'hands' that can be turned like a clock, with a corridor enclosed by wooden grilles, allowing visitors to stroll comfortably around the sales area.

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Together, the "Stage and Corridor" foster new encounters and deeper interactions both among visitors and with the works being showcased.

This Neo-Renaissance space glows serenely with harmonious light, evoking the Japanese concept of 'wa' or harmony, which is pursued as a motif throughout the design, while the materials used include rare and specially acquired items from around Japan.

-- BERNAMA