Traditional weddings in Japan are a big business. These sumptuous affairs often entail opulent multicourse meals, endless toasts, and several costume changes by the bridal couple, including elaborate kimonos. Because this garment is both expensive and expansive, many prefer to borrow rather than buy. Catering to that need, the Marusho Co., purveyors of partywear, decided to convert their showroom for rentable Western wedding finery to one tailored mainly to Japanese attire. Dating to 1989, the space, which occupies the second floor of the company’s six-story building in central Yokohama, had been adorned with white steel frames, glitzy chandeliers, and shiny stainless-steel surfaces, typical trappings of Japan’s bubble-economy era. The clients now wanted the design of their shop to reflect the history and timeless quality of the kimono—but with a contemporary twist befitting the 21st century. In architect Yoshimasa Tsutsumi, they found their best man.
Dividing his time between offices in Hiroshima and Beijing, Tsutsumi is making his mark with retail shops and restaurants that incorporate Japanese materials, detailing, and aesthetic sensibility. His first foray into the kimono world, the Marusho showroom is approached by stairs or elevator leading up from the first floor, where customers slip out of their street shoes. Upon entering, they are greeted by a single bridal kimono suspended in the customary T-shape to highlight its intricacy and brilliance. This display fronts the area designated for the bride: built-in closets and drawers for the garments and their accoutrements, as well as a dressing room. The grooms’ area on the showroom’s opposite side holds places to display, store, and try on morning suits and tuxedos. Lining the showroom’s perimeter are six semiprivate consultation booths at the rear, plus back-of-house staff facilities on either side. In the center of the showroom stand two massive three-quarter-height display units. Straddling the line between architecture and furniture, these define circulation through the space and house two-tiered racks of formal kimonos for the women in the wedding party—bright-colored garments for the young and dark ones with elaborate embroidery for older members.
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