Omotesando, Tokyo's premier luxury brand boulevard, has recently been furnished with a string of ultramodern shrines to consumable design, crafted in concrete and steel and glass. That makes Ralph Lauren's vast whitewashed neoclassical monolith -- which opened yesterday -- seem even more like something from another age, when things were grander and more dignified.
That historical fantasy -- essentially of beautiful WASPs living privileged lifestyles -- is what underpins the mammoth marketing exercise that is Polo Ralph Lauren, the world's best-selling fashion brand with annual sales of $2.6 billion. Since its inception in 1968, the label has amassed Lauren a fortune estimated by Forbes at over $1.7 billion, making him the world's richest fashion designer.
"I have always loved Japan and find it even more exciting today than I did before," Lauren told The Japan Times at the store opening yesterday. "The unveiling of this new flagship is a huge step forward for our brand."