There are stores that make you want to shop there just because. If you had to break down that aura, it would probably come down to a great location, a beautiful exterior and interior, great merchandising and great service. The Lemaire boutique, which opened in November of this year in Tokyo’s Ebisu neighborhood is such a store. This 2,000 sq foot store is housed in a beautiful private two-story home built in the 1960s. Walking through the front gate and through the front door is a bit like going through a portal from the city to the countryside. The space is as tranquil as its small backyard garden, and it is one of the most inviting shops we have been to. Shopping here feels like you are simply borrowing from the closet of your incredibly stylish, design-conscious friend.
Instead of taking the space over and putting a brand stamp on it, Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linn Tran made sure that it blends into the design language of Japan. The walls are covered with traditional Japanese plaster while Sudare bamboo blinds handmade with straw sit alongside sliding Shoji paper screens. A series of objects that blend in with the clothes were chosen in collaboration with Out of Museum, a Japanese folk-object store in Setagaya.
The choice of the tranquil Ebisu neighborhood is not a coincidence, as more and more independent stores avoid the tourist-mobbed shopping districts of Ginza and Aoyama, moving further out. Lemaire sits in proximity to flagship stores from Kapital and the Viridi-anne, as well as Biotop, a multi-brand Ebisu stalwart. Tokyo’s retail scene has no rivals and the new Lemaire flagship is a worthy addition and a must-stop on your next Tokyo visit.