Dolce & Gabbana, Tokyo

Dolce & Gabbana’s new Tokyo flagship is positioned within the luxury hub of Aoyama, just moments from the incomprehensibly bustling Shibuya station traversed by millions every day.

Standing tall over a 550 metre footprint, the striking building features an exterior of matte black marble uplit with white light projections. The result, a chiaroscuro effect dubbed ‘Sicilian Light’ by designer Gwenael Nicolas of Curiosity, is continued within. The all-black interior is broken only by the occasional majestic burst of gold, such as the central stairway that connects the space’s two floors.

Gwenael Nicolas and Curiosity have crafted a dramatic chiaroscuro interior redolent of the strong Sicilian sun.

A collective of 400 ceiling spotlights plays across the product like the strong Sicilian sun moving across the sky, bringing displays in and out of view and drawing the consumer’s eye to targeted products. It’s an effect that recreates the contrasting light of the area the brand hails from, while also alluding to a cave of ‘treasures’.

The space houses clothing, accessories and leather goods, with product artfully and minimally displayed on crisp glass stands, marble islands or tiles or in abbreviated collections along the walls. A majestic all-gold room houses the brand’s jewellery collection, which gleams upon gold displays inlaid into the walls.

It’s a dramatic aesthetic that ensures the brand shines brightly in the heart of fashion-loving Tokyo.