US electric guitar brand Fender is to open a four-level flagship store in the busting fashion hub Harajuku-Omotesando this month, the brand’s first retail store in the country.
The Fender Tokyo flagship is scheduled to open its doors on June 30 inside The Ice Cubes building, the company said. Marking its Japan debut, the guitar maker will also introduce a made-in-Japan fashion line dubbed ‘F is For Fender’ available in the flagship store.
The flagship store’s basement floor will house a cafe dubbed ‘Fender Cafe powered by Verve Coffee Roasters’ and an event space that will host various events such as broadcast shows, panel discussions, performances and workshops. Meanwhile, the upper two floors will be home to the brand’s full range of products, including acoustic guitars, ukuleles, amplifiers, pedals and the brand’s merchandise.
Fender’s third floor will showcase the Fender Custom Shop, also known as the ‘Dream Factory’, which is home to some of the world’s most skilled and honoured craftsmen, and master builders. This floor will offer a selection of master-built and team-built guitars, as well as a special room for customers to place custom orders.
“We’ve left no stone unturned in planning and designing every aspect of the musical journey to deliver a complete 360-degree experience for all visitors,” said Edward Cole, president at Fender Asia Pacific.
The Fender Tokyo flagship was designed by Klein Dytham Architecture, featuring the concept of ‘music lovers and instruments’.
“Our design in partnership with Fender is not just a store, but an enticing experiential retail environment in which the guitars themselves are placed centre-stage becoming stars of the show,” said Klein Dytham Architecture’s founder Astrid Klein.
“We chose to subtly reference Fender details – their smooth curves and exquisite finishes – for interiors and display units designed to draw attention to and accentuate each guitar’s beauty, quality and grandeur. The inclusion of galleries between retail spaces also celebrates artists and, crucially, the cultural heritage of master craftsmanship behind every Fender guitar.”
Further reading: Gentle Monster launches its first store in Japan.
