Where? This new fashion temple is next to the Prada flagship store in Japan's famous Aoyama shopping district. Once a womenswear store selling prim-and-proper dresses, it has been transformed into a cutting-edge boutique stocking clothes by new artists and designers. Spanning four floors - two above ground and two below - it was christened Loveless because creative director Yuichi Yoshii liked the combination of sounds in the word. She also found the word catchy, but insisted the store was full of love. Yoshii, who started out in the knitwear business, said she wanted Loveless to be a trigger for uplifting Tokyo.
The mood? Avant-garde with a punk-rock twist.
The crowd? Young and fashion-conscious.
What to expect? Parisian luggage maker Goyard, New York-based designer Libertine, local brand mastermind Japan, as well as former assistant designer at Dior Homme, Nicolas Andreas Taralis. Other famous names include Helmut Lang, Rick Owens, Anne Valerie Hash and Robert Cary-Williams. There is also a shoe selection by Manolo Blahnik.
Extras: they will hold monthly exhibitions, have a handy bar and also stock CDs, books and vintage items.
Loveless is at 3-17-11 Minami-Aoyama Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, tel: 81 334 01 2301.
