Fast flagships
On Sept. 17, the new flagship store for designer Neil Barrett opened in Tokyo with the assistance of a heavyweight collaborator — none other than hot U.K. architect Zaha Hadid came on board for her first retail-venue project. Barrett, a 20-year design veteran of tailored cuts (pictured right with fashion model Shiho), made a rare appearance in Tokyo to greet revelers to his new space.
"Zaha came up with a concept in the first 10 minutes," said the U.K. designer. "She knew exactly what she wanted to do, and I loved it. It's just like when I design my collection, if I don't like the design right away I throw it out."
Barrett worked with Hadid and her partner Patrik Schumacher to create a shop that's somewhere between sculpture and architecture, designed to mimic the folds and pleats in the fashion label's clothing. Towering, curved display racks for menswear, anchored in the center of the vast first floor, look as if they must have some secret, hidden function. Upstairs, womenswear is housed in a cozier atmosphere, with low ceilings but an equally eclectic shelving system whose folds and curves create a circular, continuous space.