Issey Miyake opens its first American Bao Bao boutique with a New York City flagship that brings a playful take on the label’s signature bags.
Image courtesy of Bao Bao Issey Miyake.
Bao Bao Issey Miyake on 126 Prince Street is the first of its kind. The fashion house’s bag line, which debuted in the Fall/Winter 2010 season, focuses solely on designs that consist of geometric tiles that can be reshaped or reformed to suit the needs of the customer. Opening this June, the new store marks Bao Bao’s sole physical presence in the U.S., joining Issey Miyake’s flagship on Hudson Street in Lower Manhattan and the Pleats Please store on Kenmare Street in Nolita.
Image courtesy of Bao Bao Issey Miyake.
With a classic brick exterior, the building may seem like just another SoHo shop, but a quick peek inside tells a different story. Bao Bao’s interior looks like its Font bag supersized itself and splashed its patterns across the walls. Cool, grey geometric tiles cover the space, and clean, sharp lines are everywhere to be found, mimicking the construction of a Bao Bao purse, in which triangle tiles are interlocked and folded to create the bag’s moldable structure. The centerpiece is a custom rectangular table crafted with the tsuchime (“hammered metal”) technique.
Image courtesy of Bao Bao Issey Miyake.
The metallic interior is animated by the products’ bright yellow, blue, and green colorways that line the shelves. A bright red heart-shaped window decoration, stylized after Bao Bao’s newest Lucent Love collection, calls to passersby from the display window. Some may remember the site previously housed Pleats Please Issey Miyake up until the start of this year. Now the torch has been passed, and in true Miyake fashion, ever so creatively and clearly.
Bao Bao Issey Miyake is now open at 126 Prince Street in New York.
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