Much of the fun of New York Fashion Week (which starts this Thursday) happens outside of the Lincoln Center tents. This time, some of it involves the best of Japanese design under one roof — atNipponista,a pop-up shop in SoHo to exclusively showcase Japanese designers and brands while the shows are ongoing.
The best of Japanese fashion, art, food, lifestyle and craftsmanship, will all be on offer here, including Sachie Muramatsu's light fixtures; clothes by Yohji Yamamoto, Kansai Yamamoto, and Anrealage; shoes by Plantica; and earrings by Siri Siri.
There’s also furniture — such as the 'bean stool' by Ogata, safety pin wood work by Hiroshi Kanzaki, and glazed porcelain goods by Yuka Muta; technology –like Robo Garage's 'Robi' robot, a uniquely crafted bicycle from tokyobike.
Particularly engaging, however, is a colorful, eye-popping balloon sculpture by Daisy Balloon— a duo comprising balloon artist Rie Hosokai and art director/graphic designer Takashi Kawada that has fashioned couture-like dresses out of the little latex toys — that will be displayed in a specially sealed window designed to reduce balloon shrinkage.
The pop-up is the brainchild of Japanese department store Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, with the aim of highlighting the best in Japanese craftsmanship whose objective is 'Making Japan Cheerful'.
To see a slideshow of some highlights at the pop-up store, click here.
Nipponista, 47 Greene Street, New York. Open from February 6 to 13, 12pm to 8pm daily.
