Tadashi Shoji is set to open a new boutique at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, CA on June 20, 2016. The new space will span over 2200 square feet and will offer an eclectic range of Tadashi Shoji’s eveningwear collection featured through a sequence of branded, experimental installations aimed at elevating the customer experience. The opening will mark the first in a series of short-term concept stores that the brand will test in key target markets as part of their global retail rollout strategy.
To bring his creative vision to life, Tadashi Shoji has collaborated with US-based architecture firm March Studio to convert the retail space. Tadashi Shoji and March Studio have had a long term creative partnership dating back to 2002 when the firm first designed Shoji’s house in Pasadena, CA as well as his corporate headquarters in Los Angeles, CA. More recently, March Studio has led the development of Tadashi Shoji’s flagship boutiques including South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA; Lagoona Mall in Doha, Qatar; and most recent Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas, NV.
“I am very excited to open our new retail concept boutique in Glendale Galleria,” says Tadashi Shoji. “The innovative direction we are taking in Glendale perfectly furthers our goal to create a full lifestyle experience that celebrates inventiveness and artistry. Combining fashion-forward designs with out-of-the-box elements will not only enrich the customer experience but will entice them to return again and again.”
To help evolve the design process of the store, Tadashi Shoji and March Studio invited students from Woodbury University School of Architecture to study the brand, explore the boundaries between branding and retail identity, and to ideate on installation concepts for the new Galleria boutique. The students’ involvement came about through Woodbury University School of Architecture’s adjunct faculty Lara Hoad, AIA LEED AP, Design Director at March Studio, and Todd A, Erlandson, AIA LEED AP, principal architect at March Studio.
Tadashi Shoji is intent on supporting the next generation of artisans and giving them an opportunity to experiment, innovate and manifest their creativity.
“This is a true collaboration involving the architect, the client and students,” said Lara Hoad, Design Director, March Studio. “Branding, long associated as a marketing strategy, has taken on issues of creating individual and company identities. This project will investigate how interior architecture can inform and shape branded retail experience.”
The student concepts will focus on installations using repurposed and off-the-shelf materials juxtaposed with the fine detail and craftsmanship of Tadashi Shoji’s collections. The Galleria boutique will serve as a concept retail laboratory that can be replicated to other existing and upcoming locations focused at offering a full branded shopping experience.
With more than 700 global points of sale currently, the brand is in expansion mode with additional retail rollouts planned for San Jose, CA and the Middle East in the second half of 2016 and several more in 2017; fragrance and shapewear launches are planned for 2017. In 2015, the brand saw the children’s collection launch in the Fall that was well received.
