Unisex Japanese clothing brand 45R, which arrived in Singapore in 2015 at Capitol Piazza, has opened a second store at Paragon shopping mall.
Inspired by the Silk Road trading routes, the 730sqft store features warm, woody interiors, reports The Straits Times. Gold silk panels serve as a backdrop for mannequins showcasing key pieces. Thousand-year-old cedar-wood tables line the walls, and even the floor tiles have been hand cut in a hexagonal pattern.
The meticulousness that went into the store’s design by Japanese architect Tomoyuki Sakakida aligns with the craftsmanship for which the brand is known. Founded 41 years ago by designer Yasumi Inoue and the brand’s director Shinji Takahashi, the brand has created a niche with its luxury vintage aesthetic as well as the use of artisanal techniques and traditional craftsmanship to create garments that age with the wearer.
Dubbing its approach as “slow fashion”, 45R has an ethos that stands in stark contrast to modern “disposable” fashion. Instead, 45R (a name inspired by the rotational speed of 45rpm vinyl records) offers timeless and understated pieces with loose contours and a bohemian aesthetic.
Many of the brand’s designs are hand-stitched, with prints that are silk-screened or block-printed by hand. One of its signatures is a range of hand-dyed indigo pieces.
“The quality of the fabrics is unlike anything else – we use the most luxurious materials that are all made in-house,” says 45R GM Sheng Hsi Ling.
After starting off as a lone store in Tokyo in 1977, the brand now has more than 40 stores in Japan as well as global fashion capitals like New York and Paris. In Singapore, the brand was started as a JV between 45R and BreadTalk Group director George Quek, who is now director of 45R Singapore.
