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Architects: Nobuo Araki/The Archetype
- Area: 144 m²
- Year: 2018
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Photographs:Shimizu Ken
“Longing for Neon”
I’ve always thought I loved the modest things, and I’ve been vaguely thinking that my whole life, but when I was offered this opportunity to rebuild t he STÜSSY Harajuku store, I remembered the neon lettered T - Shirt I used to wear when I was young. This is sort of like having a flashback of bathing in the bright sun rays in my teens. STÜSSY and my flashback memory may have nothing to do with each other, but I could not ignore my initial thought, I don’t know why... But I yearned for the rays and imagined this store.
The store is nestled in the heart of Harajuku area, made up of two floors with one on the ground and one in the basement and it can be split u p into three primary areas. The kiosk space is what used to be the windbreak room of the old structure and behind this is a empty space accommodated for variety of projects and usage in the future.
When you take the staircase down into the basement floor, the store space awaits where you will find the newest STÜSSY collection. The gradation between the road – kiosk – empty space – store is the prime character of the store. And the space is signed and sealed with it’s neon color used throughout. I can’t pinpoint the reason for this but it may have something to do with my longing for youthfulness.
This store was born out of respect to youthfulness, and for STÜSSY’s future.
