The M gallery shop at the Kanda temple in Tokyo.
Put yourself in situation: you are in tokyo ; you walk from JR Ochanomizu station to the Kanda temple.
Afterward, you bow in front of the “Tori” (the big wooden door). You purify your hands at the fountain; first the left and then the right. You approach the facade of the main temple and make your prayer flipping a coin and clapping twice (the gods prefer coins with a hole).
Then go to the right flank of the temple, where there is Akari-chan, the sacred horse of the temple and whose mane changes to a white color during his life. Finally enter through the small door at the bottom.
You are in M , the gallery store of the Tokyo creator Michiko Nakayama hidden in the kanda shrine from the city center, where, for starters, you can relax with a Japanese ginger ale.
Access to the fashion store and gallery M, in Tokyo.
What led the former Muveil designer to place her space in this sacred place? "We were looking for a place that had a different rhythm than the conventional commercial areas and an acquaintance told us about this building," she tells us.
“Shinto shrines are a refuge for the Japanese. Since childhood and throughout our lives, we went to pray , make prayers... They are quiet spaces and for meditation ; like an oasis away from the noise of the city. This is the kind of experience I wanted customers to have when they visit M so that they can also understand the philosophy of the brand.”
Part of the access ritual to M.
Michiko wanted to experiment about the indirect influence of clothing and, for this, she uses small characteristics of the garments as a language.
“The garments are full of details that cannot be seen with the naked eye and at the same time, our store is hidden inside a temple. When clients comment: “ii ki” (what a good energy) I know that M is in the right place ”.
Throughout the year, M also receives different artists whose works she exhibits in group exhibitions around a theme, with the idea of helping clients to decipher and feel hidden issues in clothing. reading and theater are some of Michiko's hobbies: “I know that during those moments nothing is going to come to me. However, over time, the experiences are transformed within me and one day, suddenly, a new idea appears in my mind ”.
Michiko Nakayama
This idea seems to have been born as a response to an exaggerated consumerism, but perhaps the trend is changing and we are witnessing the birth of an increasingly responsible consumer ? "I think fashion is going to polarize into two opposite extremes: fast fashion and brands that are committed to high quality," says Nakayama.
“From M we have launched the message of 'garments to inherit' . Design and production work together so that they resist and endure the passing of the years, and we would love for them to be inherited for generations! That is why we make patterns that adapt well to the changes that a woman's body can have and simple and elegant designs that do not suffer the passage of trends. It is our way of proposing a more responsible way of consuming”.
One of Michiko's designs for M.
95% of the products, whose average price is 40,000 yen (about 309 euros to change), they are made in Japan and almost all the fabrics are made in Japan, except the yarn of the sweaters. "But we also travel looking for high-quality fabrics, such as fabrics that are usually used for men's tailoring," says the designer. “We wear clothes on top of our bodies for hours and hours, so at M we make an effort to wear materials that allow us to move easily And don't cause stress."
Design by M.
If Tokyo already draws the attention of fashion devotees for its remarkable street style , signatures with so much message also put it in the spotlight. “The main characteristic of Japanese fashion is the high quality standards of its products and materials that are maintained even in the most casual brands.
I think that this point is going to influence fashion globally”, comments the creator of M, in turn a inveterate traveler that she runs away whenever she has some free time (unplanned, sine qua non condition).
Part of the ritual to access M.
“I like to move spontaneously and discover things that surprise me. I recently visited Atami (200 km west of Tokyo) to see a house of the German architect Bruno Taut ”, he tells us. “It is a magnificent house with a mixture of impressionism and Japanese culture. And twice a year I go to Paris to present the collection and I always take the opportunity to visit places that interest me”.
If you want to take a different memory of Tokyo, apart from the visit itself, get yourself a dress with the neck uncovered, similar to kimonos and an omamori from kanda temple (a good luck charm), suggests the creator of M.
Mineral Look by M.
Of course, she asks for an appointment (Tel. 080-3502-5801) and writes down these details: 2-16-2 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0021 #room302 (and, so you don't get lost, take a look at the video they have posted on their Instagram profile) .
“At the moment we haven't received any visits from tourists!” Michiko comments. “The Kanda temple receives many but our shop is hidden behind a small door. We would love visitors from other countries to find us. Our regular clients are mainly Japanese women, over 30 years old with an interest in art, literature, cinema… We also have quite a few clients who are designers or creators themselves.”
But some have come. designers and artists such as Moisés Nieto or Brianda , who were visiting Japan.
Mineral Look by M.