Nihombashi Mitsukoshi began as a single kimono shop—a place to choose fabrics, consider patterns, and bring beauty into everyday life. This history became the starting point for EQUALLY’s new store.
There is something about Mitsukoshi that makes you stand a little straighter. We wanted to bring EQUALLY’s easy warmth into this setting—the kind that lets conversation unfold naturally over a crêpe. The space draws on the balance and dignity of Mitsukoshi’s Renaissance architecture, softened by traces of handwork in woven textiles, washi paper, and metal.
The wall artwork incorporates a textile custom-woven in Nishijin, Kyoto. For Mitsukoshi, fabric is a direct link to the origins of its business. We commissioned a weaving house that has spent more than 150 years making kinran, the ornate brocade used for Buddhist vestments and temple decorations. Variations in thread thickness and weave create a finely textured surface that catches the light differently from every angle.
Over this textile, we layered metal worked piece by piece by hand. Hammered by craftspeople in Nagoya, it was then given a special powder-coated finish in Hiroshima. The finish preserves the hammer marks and subtle irregularities, leaving the maker’s touch visible. Lines flowing across the textile trace Mitsukoshi’s journey from kimono shop to department store and into the years ahead. Here, the work of craftspeople from different regions comes together on a single wall.
The central pendant light is made with Tosa washi from Kochi. Thin sheets of paper are torn by hand and layered onto a clear acrylic cylinder, with blue dyes and pigments allowed to bleed into the paper in places. When lit, the fibres, overlapping layers, and varying shades of blue emerge. Each torn edge and wash of colour is slightly different. These small irregularities bring a sense of calm to the ordered space.
Weaving thread, hammering metal, layering paper. Working with materials to bring out their individual qualities has much in common with EQUALLY’s approach to making sweets. A crêpe brings ingredients together on a single sheet of batter; this space brings together fabric and paper. In both, we valued the richness that takes shape through the work of human hands.
A pause while shopping. Something sweet to choose. A moment to relax. Mitsukoshi’s history and the work of its craftspeople form the backdrop to these ordinary pleasures.
We hoped to create a place that makes you stand a little straighter—and smile a little more.
