The development of Tokyo's Omotesando Avenue into a global laboratory for retail design represents an incisive chapter in the recent history of commercial structures. A relatively tranquil, tree-lined road defining a mile-long swath through the white-hot center of the megalopolis, its present condition derives much from a unique urban and demographic context. Pinned to the northwest by the spiral of Kenzo Tange's National Gymnasia for the Tokyo Olympics (1964), the artery is in turn fed by an inter connected grid of pedestrian-friendly streets that define the shopping neighborhoods of Shibuya and Harajuku. Affluent Omotesando is the psychic median between two densely populated, topographically distinct areas often associated with the particular consumer habits and social rituals of the modern Japanese teenager.

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Retail is a breakthrough exploration of the relationship between consumer culture and architecture, showcasing the creative collaborations between global brands and their architects. Over the past decade, retail architecture has taken center stage in contemporary design discourse,and Retail offers a unique tour of the venues for the universal pastime of the twenty-first century: shopping.Retail describes the contemporary flagship as an essential conduit in the transmission of desire and a dynamic agent of citymaking. The new temples of style challenge old ideas about the exclusively commercial function of retail spaces. The shops featured in this volume accom modate a wealth of non-shopping programs--including full restaurant functions (Prada, Tokyo), exhibition spaces (Helmut Lang, Paris; Vitra, New York), and interactive environments and kinetic installations (Emporio Armani,Hong Kong; Michel Guillon, London)--promoting activities that add value to the shopping experience of the modern consumer as they enhance the reputation of a global brand.This exquisitely designed volume showcases the most exciting and innovative work by world-renowned architects for high-profile clients around the globe, including Rem Koolhaas and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (Prada, New York and Beverly Hills); Frank Gehry and Gordon Kipping (Miyake Tribeca, New York); Herzog & de Meuron (Prada, Tokyo); Tadao Ando (Armani Teatro,Milan); Renzo Piano (Hermes Ginza, Tokyo); Future Systems (Selfridges, Birmingham); Masamichi Katayama (*A Bathing Ape, Tokyo, Osaka, and New York); Coop Himmelb(I)au (BMW Welt, Munich); Jun Aoki & Associates (Louis Vuitton Omotesando, Tokyo); SANAA (Christian Dior Omotesando, Tokyo); and Studio Novembre (Bisazza showrooms in Barcelona, Milan, Berlin, and New York).

INTRODUCTION

SELECTED PROJECTS

Selfridges Birmingham / Future Systems

New Look Oxford Street / Future Systems

*A Bathing Ape / Masamichi Katayama

Tokyo

Osaka

New York

Inhabitant Harajuku / Masamichi Katayama

BMW Welt / Coop Himmelb(I)au

Drugstore Publicis Champs-Elysees / Michele Saee

Helmut Lang / Gluckman Mayner

Paris

Milan

Emporio Armani Hong Kong /

Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas

Emporio Armani Shanghai/

Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas

Armani Teatro / Tadao Ando

Audi Tokyo / Tadao Ando

Cocue Daikanyama / Tadao Ando

Hacknet Daikanyama / Masamichi Katayama

QV Ebisu-Nishi

Beams T Daikanyama / Masamichi Katayama

B-Jirushi Yoshida Daikanyama

Lucien Pellat-Finet / Masamichi Katayama

And A Osaka / Masamichi Katayama

A.P.C. Daikanyama/Paul Chemetov

Issey Miyake Tribeca /

Frank O. Gehry & Gordon Kipping of GTECTS

Vitra New York / ROY

Carlos Miele New York / Asymptote

Michel Guillon Sloane Square / Kitchen Rogers

Comme des Garcons Faubourg St.-Honore /

Kitchen Rogers

AI-Ostoura Kuwait City / Kitchen Rogers

Maison Hermes Ginza /

Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Louis Vuitton Omotesando / Jun Aoki & Associates

Louis Vuitton Roppongi Hills /

Jun Aoki & Associates / Eric Carlson / Aurelio Clementi

Prada Tokyo Epicenter / Herzog & de Meuron

Prada Los Angeles Epicenter / OMA

Prada New York Epicenter / OMA

Target Isaac Mizrahi / Work Architecture

Christian Dior Omotesando / SANAA

hhstyle Harajuku / SANAA

Alexander McQueen Milan / William Russell

United Bamboo Daikanyama / Studio Acconci

Bisazza / Studio Novembre

Barcelona

Milan

Berlin

New York

Bisazza Alte (Vicenza) / Carlo Dal Bianco

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ILLUSTRATION CREDITS