DESTINATION STORE

FEATURE COLUMN NEWS

DESTINATION STORE｜File 001

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2022.10.28

HONEYEE.COM Style Personality City Guide
File 001 : MY Foot Products (Tokyo Harajuku)

In the age of intelligent information, mobile phones shows that we can go everywhere we want. Instead, how about taking your phone to those “must-go” places to experience it for yourself? HONEYEE.COM has launched DESTINATION STORE, a series of store introductions, to recommend destinations which are worth visiting.

The store that appears in File 001 is MY Foot Products, a sneaker store of Maison MIHARA YASUHIRO which is only open on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Text Yukihisa Takei
Photo Li Bowen
Translation Zhuoqin Li

Sneaker Shop opens only on Tuesdays and Saturdays

What is the reason behind the midweek opening?

In Maison MIHARA YASUHIRO’s 2018 AW collection, its (hereinafter referred to as MMY)’s Sneaker/sneakers collection are debuted. In terms of the existing sneaker impressions and concepts, the uneven "dissolving" design (commonly known as OG Sole) of the midsole like kneading and deformation is very popular, and it has become the brand's iconic shoe.

Hidden somewhere at the end of Harajuku, there is a Sneaker Shop selling MMY as the main brand of merchandise. However, "MY Foot Products" which started to open in June 2020 is surprisingly little known compared to the popularity of its products.

Although MY Foot Products is a popular brand-owned store, it is only open on Tuesdays and Saturdays. It may be precisely because of this slightly special business form that the store still maintains a low-key niche identity. Saturday is understandable, but what is the point of choosing Tuesday in the middle of the week? For this reason, we curiously asked Mika Sato, the store's PR manager.

"There are many beauty salons near the Harajuku area where MY Foot Products is located, and they usually open on Tuesdays in the middle of the week. The styling industry itself has a unique trend culture, so MMY designer Mihara hopes to create a store where stylists could come to visit when they are resting."

"It's confusing at first glance, and that is what I want"

The interior design of the mobile checkout counter in the store was made by the staff, mainly using cheap materials such as plywood.

"From the interior decoration of the store, it can be found that Mihara did not emphasize the concept of the store's theme. According to Mihara, it was, 'People stand at the door of the store and see inside at first glance, they don't know what this store is for, it is the effect I want.'. Taking this MY Foot Products as an opportunity, from the Fukuoka store Maison (MY) Labo., which opened in 2021, to the Nihonbashi Anarchy Cultural Center, which opened in September this year, the Hand Made element has been continuously strengthened."

Art exhibitions are also held in the MY Foot Products store from time to time. Instead of inviting the ‘well-known and popular’ artists as the title, we mainly focus on those new artists who ‘put down their pens’or who are developing, and make a 100% restoration.

Through such measures to promote the intersection and collision of trends and art, it is not difficult to find that Mihara Yasushi hopes to allow more diverse cultures to take root in the trend environment, rather than simply doing gimmicks to sell goods.

A direct-sale store with "relaxation is released"

The product structure of MY Foot Products is very simple, with the MMY collections as the main brand of the store's products, as well as limited collaborations in some stores.

Here you can also find some exclusive design of MY Foot Products, such as the store's original clothing, shoelace accessories. In addition, "靴紐結べな君 (a man who does not tie shoelaces)”’s peripheral products, the legend of the mysterious people who founded the store, will also be launched from time to time.

During our visit to the store, there is one thing intrigued us: the majority of items displayed in the MY Foot Products store are not priced.

It is said that most of the MMY direct-operated stores have adopted this method, which is also Mihara's ulterior motive, so that the staff and customers can have a natural conversation.

According to reports, MY Foot Products store also collects many archives that are unique in the market, and those archives are really rare. If you talk more to the clerk, the clerk will even take out the hidden items that are not displayed in the store.

Although it is a brand direct-operated store, it doesn’t show the serious business atmosphere. However, it is filled with a relaxed and comfortable affinity, which is also the charm of MY Foot Products. In the future, MY Foot Products will continue the existing business rhythm, activities, and product formats, and keep moving forward at its own pace.