Omotesando has seen a flurry of buildings for up-market fashion brands open in recent years, most notably Jun Aoki's Louis Vuitton flagship store and Herzog & de Meuron's Prada tower. Now, the thoroughfare lined with trashcans inscribed with "the Champs Elysees of Tokyo" is blessed with another architectural marvel dedicated to luxury retail -- Tod's.
The Italian footwear brand enlisted the services of Toyo Ito, known for his high-tech conceptual buildings, and has created a dramatic seven-story temple to conspicuous consumption.
The 2,550-sq. meter store is most remarkable for its facade of crisscrossed concrete braces with glass filling the spaces between them, creating the effect of silhouetted tree branches, and referencing the tall elm trees that line Omotesando Dori. Inside, Ito has made optimum use of natural materials such as stone, wood and leather, reflecting the handcrafted, artisanal quality of Tod's leather goods.