Redefining the Brand Experience
Contents
Foreword 006 Introduction 007 LOFT 016 ROOTH 2-3-3
028
BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE
042
BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE
048
BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE
056
BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE
064
@AROMA 074
004
LOKO GALLERY
080
PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE
090
PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE
098
PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE / BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE
108
SEIBU IKEBUKURO PRESTIGE BOUTIQUE
120
SEIBU IKEBUKURO PRESTIGE FLOOR
132
LIVING MOTIF
142
ISSEY MIYAKE MEN
152
ISSEY MIYAKE MEN
160
KIHACHI 166 SOGO YOKOHAMA BEAUTY LOUNGE
176
ESTNATION 188 ME ISSEY MIYAKE
198
SHARED TERRACE
206
AND A
216
AKOMEYA TOKYO
224
ISSEY MIYAKE SHIZHENG BOUTIQUE 232 Index 248 Profile 252
005
Foreword
M
OMENT is a Tokyo-based design office founded in 2005 by Hisaaki Hirawata and Tomohiro Watabe. Moving freely between graphic design and spatial design, and between the two-dimensional and the threedimensional, Hirawata and Watabe take a flexible approach to the many challenges they face across these diverse sectors, delivering clear, expressive outcomes. Their philosophy is summed up by the statement: ‘We design by making without making.’ So how can one define design that is achieved by ‘making without making’? The phrase reveals a totally different attitude from the apologetic and clichéd pursuit of ‘design that is not too designed’, which remains so popular in Japan today. In particular, many Japanese designers seem hesitant about meeting the needs of those consumers who don’t enjoy this over-emphasis on functionality in their interiors. The discipline still seems to be trapped in a pursuit of the monotonous and rudimentary, tending to the endless repetition of the same old mannerisms. MOMENT have adopted the idea of ‘making without making’ as a manifesto. Instead of following prevailing trends, the founders believe that interior design is about mining deeply into our spatial awareness while still retaining a focus on the core of each brand, and they aim to create a comprehensive system that caters to both. MOMENT’s visual neatness, and unique shapes and styling, styling, serves as the external expression of this approach. this approach. Many of their works seem at first glance to adopt the
tenets of minimalism, but in fact offer more, being both diverse in character and responsive to the needs of the particular client. After agreeing on a concept, each design will be subject to a number of elaborations to discover solutions that are highly effective yet less obvious. These are developed and refined through the use of design thinking, as well as an understanding of the psychology of consumers, employing techniques and guidance that appeal to all five senses. As a result, MOMENT have attracted many clients for their branding expertise, both those seeking to commission original designs and those looking to refresh existing ones. About two decades have now passed since the quality and innovation of Japanese commercial interiors first attracted worldwide attention, setting off major waves in the interior design sector. As a result, many influential shops, restaurants and other buildings were created in a profusion of different styles, their interiors attracting significant attention thanks to their audacity and their personality. Major clients rapidly embraced this trend, as did their customers, and it soon had an impact on both products and materials. Today, however, the social landscape has changed, and a new generation of designers is dedicating itself to exploring not just the visible but also the invisible. These designers focus on the needs of clients, honing the core of each brand and ensuring it appeals to the particular customers they are seeking to reach. MOMENT is arguably the pioneer of this movement, and certainly one of its most soughtafter practitioners.
Masaaki Takahashi Independent writer and curator / Frame contributor
006
Introduction The World of MOMENT
‘What we care about when designing is employing a layered style to present information. Our belief is that what seems, at first glance, to end with a question mark will often reveal itself, on closer inspection, as ending with an exclamation mark. The same is true for how the customer’s awareness of an interior expands gradually, eventually encompassing the entirety of the project. This experience becomes highly memorable when repeated time and again.’
Hisaaki Hirawata and Tomohiro Watabe MOMENT
007
All is Too Much
008
P
roviding intensity and information instantaneously is important, but it is not enough. The time-consuming process of immersing yourself in memories and experiences allows you to create something that can only be expressed in three-dimensional space. For example, while a movie provides an audio-visual sensation for a limited period, real space appeals to all our senses at once. Yet humans cannot always handle the extraordinary amount of information they are receiving at any one moment. As MOMENT explain, ‘When browsing a magazine, you will first encounter its title, and then its photography and content, and this is why the information it contains is easily understood. However, it is difficult to create a similarly sequential shop interior that can be grasped by, and thus appeal to, every single potential customer – it is more important to reach the specific consumers who will be interested in the products.’ Online shops are a typical example of this challenge, in that they are usually designed to be accessible and alluring to almost everyone, but as a result the brand and its target audience will often become ambiguous. MOMENT add, ‘It is our job to actualise what a client wishes to do, but if this is stretched too far or is over-accommodating, it risks falsifying or giving conflicting messages about the brand’s identity. Therefore it is important to highlight its original core rather than pursue audiences indiscriminately – it is that essence that creates a unique message, and a unique experience.’
009
Frameworks and Personalities
010
T
he two focuses of MOMENT’s work are framework and ‘personality’. The first can be considered as the design system that should be developed at the start of any project. By consistently prioritising design decisions that seek to express the particular nature of the brand, a unique system will be established, and the ideal approach determined. As MOMENT explain, ‘In the past, anyone seen as having design expertise could be commissioned to produce retail interiors, but they did not seek to understand the essentials of the brand, and were not taught to do so.’ MOMENT believe that design is not just about styling, but is also about an engagement with the fundamental structure of a brand. Until recently, it was common for clients to choose a designer based on his or her particular style, and then operate all their stores in a manner that aped that style. However, contemporary design now requires a deeper understanding of both management methods, and the vision that lies behind them. This can only be obtained by thorough discussions, and should determine the structure and programme to be provided. Designers should no longer just produce a styling concept and then say, ‘The rest is up to you.’ Instead, they should now be expected, as a matter of course, to go beyond such cosmetic decisions as whether a surface should be red or black, or matte or gloss, when proposing a design programme. MOMENT clarify the situation as follows: ‘When the word “design” was first imported into Japan, it was used correctly to denote an all-encompassing discipline. As time went by, however, the meaning changed to comprise only such superficial matters as colours and shapes.’ For Japanese companies, design is increasingly misunderstood, and is often perceived as a form of magic that will ensure an easy and instantaneous sales boost. ‘Interior designers should view their profession as a collaborative one, focusing on the client’s particular vision, the sector in which it operates, and where it hopes to be in three or five years’ time,’ say MOMENT. Designers must unite the different elements of a project, arranging them as one system. Thus it is important that they remain strongly aware of whom their design is for, and approach it in a logical way that keeps this target in sight, rather than in a haphazard manner.
A brand’s design is rather like our own attempts to introduce ourselves to people – we think we know who we are, and how to present ourselves, but often we’re not as adept as we think. An effective introduction would be a great help for all of us. Many brands that come to MOMENT are similarly confused about their identity. Their worries keep multiplying: ‘What about this?’, ‘What about that?’, ‘What would the difference in our sales be if we went for a black theme for our shop instead of a white one?’, ‘Should we widen our shopfront?’ Such questions are endless. However, these simple visual matters have nothing to do with the brand. In MOMENT’s words, ‘If we simply implement an idea that our client has developed while in a state of confusion, the result will be something that is unrelated to its brand. It is our mission to step outside this turmoil and help brands understand their essence. Doing this in a direct, honest manner can produce outstanding results.’ When a client wants to express something, the designer needs to dig down into why, and then find an appropriate solution. Sometimes this solution may look very different from anything the brand had initially envisioned, while successfully realising its ambitions. ‘What a designer needs to do is to look at the brand from a third-party perspective, and understand and promote its good points,’ say MOMENT. ‘If there are bad points, either fix them or make them less noticeable. This is branding.’ It is also important to tackle both internal and external branding. When employees work in clean, stylish offices, they are more likely to work efficiently and express pride in their jobs to the outside world – this is just one of the benefits of increasing a brand’s value. And, when activating both internal and external profiles, care should be taken not to separate the two. Gathering feedback, whether from within the company or from outside sources, is also essential. ‘It is not true that changing a design once is the end of the process,’ according to MOMENT. ‘Constantly repeating this process of reinvention is desirable, just as a personality will frequently reinvent itself. Therefore, we conceive of a brand as a personality. We believe it is ideal for us to get involved in a single brand over a long period, as there will be an appropriate way of presenting it at each stage of its “personality development”.’
011
ROOTH 2-3-3 Fukuoka, Japan 2018
028
Ageing Gracefully
I
n Japan, an increasing number of architects and designers are asked to design buildings intended to revitalise neighbourhoods. The results are often overdesigned, or divorced from their context, and it is debatable whether they really enhance their surroundings. When accepting such commissions, MOMENT believe that it is crucial to balance the elements of the design, harmonising the interior with its context. This is precisely what they did when asked to design a cafe, Rooth 2-3-3, by a company involved in revitalisation work in the city of Omuta in Fukuoka. The result: despite being located alongside railway tracks and a train station in a bleak part of the city – the abandoned Mitsui Miike Coal Mine – the cafe quickly became a popular spot, and is perceived as cool by locals. The Mitsui Miike Coal Mine is one of the most famous in Japan, and was in operation from the mid19th century to the end of the 20th century. The company overseeing its revival focused on an old warehouse constructed from bricks re-used from chimneys and other early structures on the site. For decades this building was used to store rice, and it still had an additional wooden structure inside to avoid contact between the bricks and the rice. This internal structure was left intact to reinforce the building and improve its earthquake-resistance, with minor changes to meet current building regulations regarding lighting and smoke emission. The warehouse was fully renovated, so it now looks as if it could be in London. ‘Changing the use of this warehouse was key to
the project, but if the alterations had been taken too far, the unique qualities and appeal of the original building would have been lost. As a result, new skylights have been inserted without upsetting the integrity of the ceiling, the internal wooden structure is left as exposed as possible within the scope of building regulations, and the expressive character of the brick is fully exploited,’ say MOMENT. A large picture window on the front of the warehouse frames the scenery, while allowing the interior to be easily seen from the outside, giving a welcoming impression. If customers turn right as they enter, they go through a narrow, dark passage, and then on into the large single-room cafe and gallery. The client suggested that coffee, doughnuts and newspapers would be among the key items on sale in the new cafe. As a result, its counters and tables were designed to be large enough to open a newspaper in a relaxed manner, encouraging easy communication between customers. ‘The building had an interesting character, bearing traces of the work done during each period of its use. Most renovations tend to involve vertical partitions or wall coverings, but we did not introduce anything that blocked fields of view, and we also helped to ensure a generous sense of space by emphasising the height of the pitched roof above,’ MOMENT say. The dark and cold warehouse has now become a comfortable cafe, lit by windows and with underfloor heating. Its back wall has been left white, creating a back drop where children’s calligraphy and crafts are exhibited or dances performed.
031
Dual Identity
T
his shop for Bao Bao Issey Miyake is located in a huge department store connected via a raised walkway to Japan’s busiest station, Shinjuku, which is used by 3.8 million passengers every day. Many of these commuters pass directly through this shop, which occupies a narrow corner site only 1.5-m-wide and 9-m-long, as it provides a short cut to an escalator. Turning this disadvantage into an advantage, MOMENT designed a bold, eye-catching wall that emphasises the length of the site, exploiting the fact that so many people are walking through. This distinctive feature is intended to inspire these passers-by to stop and sit on a large, white, high-backed bench in the middle of the store, and browse the goods on display. This bench also serves as a partition, separating the store from a neighbouring shop, thus giving its interior an air of exclusivity. The surface of the main wall adopts a similar pattern to that of Bao Bao Issey Miyake’s bags, with a multitude of small triangles scattered across its black-and-white, two-tone background in a seductive rhythm. It is designed to present two distinct monochrome characters – a black-to-white gradation when seen from one side of the passage, and a white-to-black gradation when seen from the other. This device ensures that the surface will give a totally different visual impression depending on where the viewer is standing, while products will also have a very different impact depending on their placement against the wall. This spatial capacity augments the wall’s status as an object, or even as a huge product, and expresses MOMENT’s design philosophy, in which space, elements and fixtures all form a harmonious whole, rather than being treated as separate components. The design of the Shinjuku store is impressive thanks to its reliance on analogue techniques to appeal to the user’s senses rather than digital ones. ‘When effective visual methods are used, the scale of a store is less important,’ MOMENT explain, ‘and here, the design’s restraint is simple yet striking, ensuring a functional and appealing result.’
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071
072
Alley of Arts
E
stnation, established in 2001 in Yurakucho, Tokyo, is a high-class, multi-brand shop that has now expanded throughout Japan. As the shop’s name suggests, its origins in Tokyo are central to the brand’s philosophy, so, when MOMENT were commissioned to design this store in Fukuoka, they created a modern interpretation of the capital city’s architecture and the skills of its craftspeople. In plan view, the shop resembles a cluster of traditional Japanese alleyways, with stock and fitting rooms scattered around the sales floor. As customers walk through, they see the corners of the individual outlets appearing one after another, both raising expectations and guiding their path through the space. These corners are further emphasised by variations in flooring materials. The ceiling has been lowered and the floor level varies, so visitors experience the sensation of entering a narrow space that offers frequent changes to their field of vision. It was also decided to minimise the lighting’s glare to enhance the sensation of being in an alleyway – it is so subdued that at times there barely seems to be any illumination at all. MOMENT say, ‘These features are considered taboo by fashion retailers, and are usually rejected for a more functional approach, but we dared to incorporate them, and thus made walking through the shop an enticing experience.’ Scattered through the store are walls with eye-catching green and red surfaces lacquered in cashew-nut oil, which is often used as a substitute for traditional lacquer as it has a similar tonal effect. These are located in places that catch the eye, for instance at the end of an alley, serving as an accent and providing orientation – if you follow the colours, you will naturally end up wandering around the entire shop. This lacquering technique is frequently seen on old wooden walls on which traces of the original hand-carving (naguri) survive, or on the facades of traditional houses in Kyoto. Vertical louvres cover the windows looking out onto the mall’s atrium. These are reminiscent of traditional Japanese wooden lattices called koshi, which allow those inside the house to look out but not vice-versa. At Estnation, they create beautiful patterns of light and shade, and also act as subtle Japanese motifs.
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The bold red line crisscrosses the store in a dynamic fashion, making racks, gateways, borders and more as it goes.Â
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Where the Green Stones Dream
M
OMENT introduced drama into the mix when commissioned to design an Issey Miyake boutique in Xitun. The store occupies the ground and first floors of a gorgeous high-rise apartment building located in this popular district of Taichung City, where many famous architects have designed major developments. Issey Miyake’s four brands are displayed separately on either side of its two floors in an open-plan manner. Since the store front opens directly to the road, it is not possible to conceal the scenery outside, so the movement of people and cars passing through the city is incorporated into the design as a borrowed landscape. The stairwells are clad in a luxurious jade-green serpentine marble quarried in Taiwan, providing continuity between the upper and lower floors, and enhancing the dynamism of the entire store. On the right side of the ground floor is Pleats Please Issey Miyake, where ceiling hangers are utilised, while Me Issey Miyake on the floor above has a different atmosphere thanks to the clean curves of its smooth, unbroken ceiling. The left side of the store takes a similar approach, with Bao Bao Issey Miyake on the ground floor and Homme Plissé Issey Miyake on the first floor. The Xitun District boutique thus acts as a digest of all the different design essences created by MOMENT for their Issey Miyake interiors to date, and the resulting store has the feel of a grand mansion. It would be natural to conclude that MOMENT’s design approach will appeal to those hotel and residential developments in which a strong and enduring sense of luxury is required.
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The recessed handrail is cut deep into the green serpentine marble, giving the staircase a strong graphic quality.
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Index
248
P.016
P.028
P.042
LOFT
ROOTH 2-3-3
BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE
2018 Location: Bangkok, Thailand Client: The Loft / Siam Speciality Art Director: Masaaki Hiromura Contractor: Diamond1992 Lighting Consultant: Koizumi Lighting Technology Photographer: Fumio Araki
2018 Location: Fukuoka, Japan Client: Be The One Total Direction: Method Branding Design: Spread Contractor: Oishi Construction Photographer: Fumio Araki
2012 - 2015 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Issey Miyake Inc. Contractor: Sterotype Photographer: Fumio Araki
P.048
P.056
P.064
BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE
BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE
BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE
2015 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Issey Miyake Inc. Contractor: Cbk Lighting Consultant: Modulex Hammer Tone Aluminum: One By One Photographer: Fumio Araki
2014 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Issey Miyake Inc. Contractor: Cbk Photographer: Fumio Araki
2018 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Issey Miyake Inc. Contractor: Sterotype Photographer: Fumio Araki
P.074
P.080
P.090
@AROMA
LOKO GALLERY
PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE
2016 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: At-Aroma Art Director: Masaaki Hiromura Product Design: Fumie Shibata Contractor: Ism Photographer: Fumio Araki
2016 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Loko Gallery Visual Identity / Sign Design: MOMENT Contractor: Shin Lighting Consultant: Erco Photographer: Fumio Araki / Toshihiro Sobajima
2017 Location: Shanghai, China Client: Issey Miyake Inc. Contractor: Q. Brothers Lighting Consultant: Koizumi Lighting Technology Photographer: Fumio Araki
P.098
P.108
P.120
PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE
PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE / BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE
SEIBU IKEBUKURO PRESTIGE BOUTIQUE
2015 Location: Narita, Japan Client: Issey Miyake Inc. Contractor: Nitten Lighting Consultant: Modulex Photographer: Fumio Araki
2015 Location: Bangkok, Thailand Client: Issey Miyake Inc. Contractor: Irdec 1996 Lighting Consultant: Erco Photographer: Fumio Araki
2016 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Sogo & Seibu Art Director: Masaaki Hiromura Sign Design: Hiromura Design Office Contractor: Hakusuisha Lighting Consultant: Modulex Photographer: Fumio Araki
249
250
P.132
P.142
P.152
SEIBU IKEBUKURO PRESTIGE FLOOR
LIVING MOTIF
ISSEY MIYAKE MEN
2018 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Sogo & Seibu Art Director: Masaaki Hiromura Sign Design: Hiromura Design Office Contractor: Hakusuisha Lighting Consultant: Modulex Photographer: Fumio Araki
2015 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Axis Sign Design: MOMENT Contractor: Cbk Lighting Consultant: Modulex Photographer: Fumio Araki
2017 Location: Daegu, South Korea Client: Issey Miyake Inc. Contractor: Geomang Design Lighting Consultant: Modulex Photographer: Fumio Araki
P.160
P.166
P.176
ISSEY MIYAKE MEN
KIHACHI
SOGO YOKOHAMA BEAUTY LOUNGE
2019 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Issey Miyake Inc. Contractor: Yoshichu Mannequin Lighting Consultant: Modulex Iron Plate: One By One Photographer: Fumio Araki
2013 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Szl Contractor: Kojima Window Lighting Consultant: Modulex Photographer: Fumio Araki
2018 Location: Yokohama, Japan Client: Sogo & Seibu Art Director: Masaaki Hiromura Sign Design: Hiromura Design Office / MOMENT Contractor: Hakusuisha Lighting Consultant: Koizumi Lighting Technology Photographer: Fumio Araki
P.188
P.198
P.206
ESTNATION
ME ISSEY MIYAKE
SHARED TERRACE
2012 Location: Fukuoka, Japan Client: Szl Contractor: Nishitetsu Kensetsu Lighting Consultant: Modulex Photographer: Nacรกsa & Partners
2015 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Issey Miyake Inc. Contractor: Sterotype Lighting Consultant: Koizumi Lighting Technology Photographer: Fumio Araki
2012 - 2015 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Szl Visual Identity: MOMENT Contractor: Kojima Window Lighting Consultant: Modulex Photographer: Nacรกsa & Partners
P.216
P.224
P.232
AND A
AKOMEYA TOKYO
ISSEY MIYAKE SHIZHENG BOUTIQUE
2011 - 2015 Location: Yokohama, Japan Client: Szl Contractor: J.front Design & Construction Lighting Consultant: Modulex Photographer: Nacรกsa & Partners
2013 Location: Tokyo, Japan Client: Szl Contractor: Kojima Window Photographer: Fumio Araki
2018 Location: Taichung, Taiwan Client: Issey Miyake Inc. / Taiwan Given Contractor: Basis Form Design Lighting Consultant: Koizumi Lighting Technology Photographer: Fumio Araki
251
Profile
Hisaaki Hirawata
Tomohiro Watabe
Born in 1974 to an architect father and a fashion- loving mother, both art collectors, Hirawata grew up in a highly creative environment. He studied architecture at Tama Art University (BA) before joining Curiosity, the studio of French designer Gwenael Nicolas. He then established MOMENT with Tomohiro Watabe. Hirawata devotes himself to researching and developing uplifting designs for everyday life.
Born in 1975 to an architect father, Watabe spent his childhood playing with the tools of his carpenter grandfather. With an early and enduring interest in graphic and spatial design, he decided to study architecture at Tama Art University (BA). After various roles in graphic, interior and exhibition design, and also in architectural practice, he established MOMENT with Hisaaki Hirawata. Watabe believes strongly in the importance of redefining the borders of design.
Photographs (P.252, 254, 255): Masatomo Moriyama
252
MOMENT Inc. Established in 2005 in Tokyo by Hisaaki Hirawata and Tomohiro Watabe, MOMENT is a creative and multidisciplinary design company that offers sophisticated solutions for its numerous and varied clients, including many world-renowned brands. Its innovative, multidimensional projects range across graphic, product and interior design, as well as architecture, redefining the boundaries of design in the process. moment-design.com
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254
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Credits MOMENT Redefining the Brand Experience Publisher Frame Direction Hisaaki Hirawata, Tomohiro Watabe Writer Masaaki Takahashi Copy Editor John Jervis Art Direction, Graphic Design Hisaaki Hirawata, Tomohiro Watabe Production Ana Martins Prepress Edward de Nijs Printing Tuijtel
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ISBN: 978-94-92311-44-3 Š 2019 Frame Publishers, Amsterdam, 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or any storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, Frame Publishers does not under any circumstances accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Any mistakes or inaccuracies will be corrected in case of subsequent editions upon notification to the publisher. The Koninklijke Bibliotheek lists this publication in the Nederlandse Bibliografie: detailed bibliographic information is available on the internet at http://picarta.pica.nl Printed on acid-free paper produced from chlorine-free pulp. TCF ∞ Printed in the Netherlands 987654321
Tokyo-based design firm MOMENT, run by Hisaaki Hirawata and Tomohiro Watabe, creates rich and sleek commercial environments for a wide spectrum of celebrated clients. Their work ranges from store designs for high-end fashion brands to temporary retail spaces, cafes, restaurants, and ambient plans for department stores. This book highlights the studio’s versatile and skillful visual approach, detail-Âoriented spatial branding and alluring lighting design for interiors that are both functionally and emotionally driven.