Step Into Jil Sander’s Biggest Store Yet, Just Opened in Tokyo’s Ginza

While Jil Sander is undergoing a change in its C-suite — with chief executive officer Luca Lo Curzio exiting the company and landing at K-Way last month — its retail rollout hasn’t stopped.

The OTB-owned fashion label has just unveiled its biggest store yet, opening a flagship in Tokyo’s Ginza district that is building on the brand’s strong presence in the market. The company’s Japanese footprint includes 20 points of sale, comprising a unit in the Omotesando area as well as a presence in top department stores such as Isetan Shinjuku and Hankyo Umeda.

Echoing creative directors Lucie and Luke Meier’s vision, the 6,750-square-foot store in Ginza spans two floors, integrating natural and re-used materials in an airy space. 

The location features a minimal facade, floors carved out of stone, monochrome blocks of marble, brass architectural elements, timber pieces and furniture elements formed of recycled plastic from compact disc cases. Walls and a staircase made from a silver-blue travertine, rough-honed or scored and textural, are balanced with wide windows enabling natural light to filter in the space, which the designers intended to be reminiscent of an artist’s studio.

“We aim at evoking an emotional experience by creating spaces where you feel at ease, where the first thing you sense is the atmosphere,” the Meiers said in a joint statement.

For this project, the duo partnered with architecture firm Casper Mueller Kneer, which also was behind the interior concept of Jil Sander’s first U.K. stand-alone store that opened in London’s Bond Street earlier this year.

For the first time, the Meiers wanted to include an exhibition space dedicated to art installations in the retail project. In this area, they staged the artwork of British sculptor Rachel Whiteread “Bergamo II.”

Also exclusively at the Ginza store, the duo developed a capsule collection of silver products, in a nod to the district’s name and the meaning of “gin,” which translates into silver in English. Hence a line of Jil Sander’s signature items rendered with silver accents and materials, ranging from the Cannolo bag to the 7 Days shirt. 

The store will also debut the brand’s fine jewelry collection, crafted in precious metals including white and yellow gold and diamonds.

These will add to Jil Sander’s seasonal assortment of ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags and accessories carried at the store.

Established in 1968 by the namesake designer and acquired by OTB in 2021, Jil Sander currently counts 70 boutiques worldwide, in addition to its e-commerce. Last year alone, 18 stores opened in locations including Paris, Rome, Venice, Madrid, London, Dallas, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Kyoto, Nanjing and Seoul. The brand is also available in more than 300 multibrand retailers.

In addition to Jil Sander, OTB, founded by Renzo Rosso, comprises Diesel, Maison Margiela, Marni, Viktor & Rolf and a stake in Amiri, as well as production arms Staff International and Brave Kid.

In the 12 months ended Dec. 31, OTB reported turnover of 1.9 billion euros, up 7.2 percent compared with 1.74 billion euros in 2022. Net sales amounted to 1.8 billion euros, climbing 9.1 percent compared with 1.63 billion euros in 2022.

Jil Sander, Maison Margiela and Marni make up OTB’s luxury segment, which reported 17.6 percent growth at constant exchange rates and which helped drive group sales. In particular, sales of Jil Sander rose 17.3 percent from 2022. The brand also renewed its license over a 10-year period with Coty Inc., for the development of cosmetics and fragrances.

Speculation about a potential change in creative direction at Jil Sander has also been circulating in Milan but Rosso recently waved away the talk. The Meiers were named to the top design post in April 2017.