When Tiffany & Co. opened its revamped iconic New York City flagship in 2023, it was one of the biggest boutique extravaganzas Fifth Avenue had seen in decades. Designed by Peter Marino, the roughly 100,000-square-foot Landmark store was the headline-grabbing splash LVMH was looking for after its purchase of Tiffany in 2019 for US$16.2 billion (approximately HK$127.16 trillion). Now, the French-owned American jeweller has opened its second marquee location in Tokyo’s Ginza neighbourhood (Ginza 6-chome, Chuo-ku) and, like its predecessor, it’s no small feat.
Image courtesy of Tiffany & Co.
“Over 50 years ago, Tiffany & Co. opened its first store in Japan and today, the house takes its next step in this rich legacy with the opening of our largest flagship in Asia, Tiffany Ginza,” Anthony Ledru, president and CEO of Tiffany & Co., tells Robb Report. “With a captivating façade designed by renowned Japanese architect Jun Aoki and interiors designed by legendary architect Peter Marino, the location is a cultural hub featuring an exquisite archival collection, art installations and the market’s first official Blue Box Café by one of Japan’s most renowned chefs, Natsuko Shoji.” For the exterior of the 26,372-square-foot space that reaches almost 217 feet high, Aoki is said to have taken inspiration from Louis Comfort Tiffany’s wisteria lamps, although few would see the connection between the early 20th century décor item and the architect’s impressive and ultra-modern Tiffany blue façade that looks more like a waterfall or wave. One thing LVMH has been keen on is creating instagram-worthy moments with its store façades. Take, for instance, the luxury conglomerate’s Fifth Avenue Louis Vuitton store which has been wrapped in 3D-printed, sky-scraping trunks since last year, while it hides the ongoing store renovation. Adding to the hype-worthy exterior are window displays by Japanese artist Kimiko Fujimura, known for her vibrant abstract paintings, that are intended to create a visual story around the jewellery.
Image courtesy of Tiffany & Co.
The Tiffany & Co. Ginza store will certainly stop pedestrians in their tracks, but, of course, there’s plenty of attention-grabbing moments on the interior as well. The art inside the boutique is extensive enough to practically make the jewellery store a museum of sorts. Over 50 artworks by everyone from Julian Schnabel, Damin Hirst, and Richard Prince to Donald Judd, Vik Muniz, and Susumu Kamijo will be on display. Plus, you can find 65 masterworks from Tiffany’s archived and half of them have never been exhibited in Japan before. On the basement level, you can find diamonds displayed beneath an origami ceiling in Japanese washi paper. On the second floor—where the jeweller’s everyday icons like T, Lock, and HardWear, and Knot are housed—a window display pays tribute to Japanese kabuki, while a circular design on the ceiling by Kanazawa Rimmed Gold Leaf Manufacturing creates a stunning focal point from above. Head to the third floor for Schlumberger designs and peak at a contrasting aluminium foil pop-up installation by Sachiko Abe and Gen Sasaki. By August, the fourth floor, will open a Blue Box Café helmed by Japanese chef Natsuko Shoji which will also offer private dining and a terrace with an Azuma Makoto flower installation.
The highest floor, of course, will be the VIP space and it’s designed to have clients spend more than just an hour or two in the space. “Peter Marino is well-known for his iconic residential spaces, and this is demonstrated on Tiffany Ginza’s exclusive twelfth floor, where several private rooms including a lounge, dining room, library, drawing room, and salon are quietly embedded within the surrounding retail floors,” says Ledru. “Offering an immersive atmosphere that goes beyond traditional retail, Tiffany Ginza celebrates our deep ties to Japan and reaffirms our unwavering commitment to local clientele.”
Image courtesy of Tiffany & Co.
Like its New York City counterpart, the new Tiffany & Co. Ginza store will be an instant tourist attraction. But don’t forget the main draw: the jewels. To celebrate the opening, the store will be selling several limited-edition pieces such as a Lock by Tiffany pendant in rose gold with a single diamond and a Lock by Tiffany aquamarine bangle in white gold with diamonds to a Bird on a Flying Tourbillon watch with a Tiffany motif on the dial and a Carat 128 aquamarine watch inspired by the Tiffany Diamond.
