Style spotting and shoe shopping in Shibuya
TOKYO—It was a Shibuya scramble of a different kind. Crowds had gathered outside Charles & Keith’s new flagship store in Shibuya, as if they knew that global stars were about to descend upon the place.
A sleek black car pulled up, and on its sides were the words “Charles & Keith” in stark white. The car door slid open and out stepped Korean star Cho Yi-hyun (“All of Us Are Dead” and “Hospital Playlist”). Cho, fresh from attending Milan Fashion Week, was wearing a black off-shoulder long-sleeved mini dress which she paired with black leather ruched-strap slingback pumps and the cognac leather and canvas two-tone boxy bag, both from Charles & Keith’s new L’initial collection. Cameras flashed and followed Cho as she made her way into the store.
Charles & Keith’s boutique in the bustling fashion district that is Shibuya is its inaugural flagship store in Japan and its second global flagship—the first one being in Gangnam, South Korea, which opened last year. The brand has long been a Japanese favorite, though—it has 18 other stores all over the country. It is set to open two more flagship stores in Asia before the year ends.
The Shibuya flagship, created in collaboration with world-renowned David Chipperfield Architects Milan, was built with harmony and sophistication in mind. The design ethos is characterized by sobriety and elegance, with interiors that are sculptural and geometric, the perfect showcase for Charles & Keith’s collections. “The store is a physical manifestation of the brand’s new graphic identity. Its unique concept makes it all the more special and showcases the elevated direction the brand is headed toward,” said a spokesperson for the brand.
Panels sprayed with lime-based plaster make up the walls, a contrast to the semipolished reconstructed stone floor. Products are displayed on aluminum shelves.
The store also features commissioned pieces by Japanese artist Tomo Sakurai, called AiriX and Curvaceous. On the second floor is a personalization counter where customers can have their initials embroidered on selected products.
L’initial
Inside the boutique, Cho was filming a video for L’initial, Charles & Keith’s recently launched premium line.
“L’initial in one word?” the guy behind the video camera asked Cho.
“Timeless,” she replied with a smile.
L’initial highlights Charles & Keith’s new emblem and monogram, both of which are part of its revitalized graphic identity, unveiled at the start of the year. It was created by award-winning French art director Fabien Baron of Baron & Baron, whose storied career includes reinventing major fashion magazines and shaping the visual identities of global brands.
“We are excited to start a new chapter and present the redesigned logo in tandem with our first-ever emblem and monogram. Each element was thoughtfully designed, an ode to our beginnings with the inclusion of our initials, the ampersand reflecting the brand’s natural duality,” said Charles & Keith founders Charles Wong and Keith Wong, who established the brand in Singapore in 1996. Today, Charles & Keith can be found in 35 countries across the globe.
All this newness reflects Charles & Keith’s evolution as both an Asian brand and a global one—accessible and aspirational, approachable and timeless, classic and modern.
Cho’s shoes, a dressier twist on classic slingback pumps with stiletto heels, feature the brand’s monogram on the ruched straps.
Japanese actress/model Ayaka Miyoshi (“Alice in Borderland”) paired her black box leather ankle-strap pumps with a blazer and shorts combo. She carried a leather and canvas monogram shoulder bag.
Japanese DJ and model Ashley Yuka, who DJed at the event, wore leather fur-lined ankle strap heeled sandals in black with her skirt and top.
Japanese music duo Ami and Aya Suzuki, also known as The Pink Twins, were double kawaii in their matching pink and red ensembles, which they dressed up with sparkly fishnets tights, leather ruched drawstring bags in cream and leather metallic cut-out T-bar sandals in silver.
They were just some of the many global style stars who joined the festivities at the opening, flying in from all over the world.
Surprises
Charles & Keith had prepared a lot of surprises for their guests. When they arrived at their hotels, check-in staff handed them their key cards inside personalized card holders. And inside their rooms, more wonderful treats. There were pieces from the L’initial collection, handpicked for each guest, along with a notecard, notebook and pencils highlighting the brand’s new logo, emblem and monogram.
There were pretty flowers arranged by Japanese florist Hitoshi Konai, who runs the Tokyo flower shop Voice, and sugar cream-filled celebratory sandwich waffles specially made by Japanese confectionary company Kogetsu. The sweets were wrapped in handmade furoshiki featuring Charles & Keith’s new monogram.
Actresses, models and social media personalities hit the streets of Shibuya for a photo shoot with Momo Angela, a celebrated Japanese street-style photographer who is a favorite of Vogue and whose work takes her to Fashion Week in the world’s most stylish capitals. It was a chance to see L’initial bags and shoes in action.
Cote Mer workshop
Artist and content creator Angelina Cruz, who flew in from the Philippines, was styled by Francis Chee. She wore a three-piece denim outfit by designer Kristine Ordinario and black stockings with the L’initial black leather cut-out T-bar sandals and black leather boxy bag.
After the shoot, everyone was invited to Trunk Hotel Cat Street in Shibuya for a workshop with Cote Mer.
Norio Sato started the Shibuya-based brand after being inspired by old kimonos sold at flea markets in Tokyo. Sato, who traveled regularly to California as a vintage jeans buyer, thought about repurposing decades-old kimonos by combining them with more modern pieces like denim jackets. Over 10 years later, his brand Cote Mer has become synonymous with one-of-a-kind pieces that mix old and new—from bomber jackets and baseball shirts to hats and pants.At the workshop, people got to design their own Cote Mer kimono shirts with a Charles & Keith touch. The instructions were simple: “First, you pick your shirt size and color and then you pick your strips of vintage kimono fabrics as well as strips of Charles & Keith monogram fabric.” The monogram fabrics were left over from production of the L’initial spring collection pieces, like the tie-around ballet flats seen on Charles & Keith global ambassador Han So-hee.
“You’ll be upcycling these fabric strips for a very special edition T-shirt. Just have fun with it,” said the instructions.
Everyone enjoyed trying to figure out their color and design combinations, with the more daring of the lot even cutting their own fabric strips. Sato was there with his team, expertly cutting the shirts and sewing them back together with the kimono pieces and Charles & Keith fabric, creating unique shirts for each workshop participant.
Even meals were given that special Charles & Keith flavor. At lunch at Daigo, the Michelin-starred restaurant known for exquisite vegetarian food, dishes were served on Charles & Keith serving trays, table napkins were embroidered and coasters were embossed with the Charles & Keith emblem. At the new and hip Shibuya izakaya Censu, a kimono-clad DJ played songs behind a Charles & Keith booth while guests drank sake, yuzu sour and plum sour and feasted on dishes like snapper sashimi, caramel butter corn, zucchini flower tempura and Wagyu steak.
At lunch at the Michelin-starred Tofuya Ukai, Cruz chatted with Bea Arboleda, a content creator from the Philippines who said she’s been a fan of Charles & Keith for a long time. Arboleda often posts about the brand on her social media accounts—her most popular post being a video of her entire Charles & Keith bag collection.
“Their pieces are so versatile. You can wear them to literally everything—office, school, parties, everything in your life, all your events,” she said.
Cruz agreed. “They complement anything you wear, really, because their pieces are very timeless and very effortless. If you feel like going for a laid-back classic look, Charles & Keith is the perfect thing for you. But if you also plan on looking trendy or experimental, Charles & Keith is also really nice to wear. They go with pretty much everything.”
Testament to this was the opening of Charles & Keith’s Shibuya flagship where guests wore their favorite L’initial pieces and pieces from the brand’s spring collection, styling them in a variety of ways—cool and minimalist, sweet and sophisticated, laid-back and casual, fun and funky. All true to the brand’s vision of empowering women and giving them the confidence to express themselves. INQ
Charles & Keith’s Shibuya flagship store is at 17-3, Udagawa-cho, Shibuya, Tokyo. In the Philippines, the L’initial collection is available at SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, Greenbelt 5, Glorietta 4 and Rockwell.
