Japanese designer's boutique opens London pop-up

Butikku, Europe’s only dedicated retailer of luxury Japanese womenswear designers, has opened a pop-up boutique in London’s Connaught Village for Christmas.

The pop-up, which will be open for the next six weeks, sits alongside the Japanese Kurobuta restaurant and the Japanese-inspired ‘Kokoro’ brand boutique within Hyde Park Estate’s Connaught Village, close to Marble Arch and Paddington in central London.

Butikku, which is simply ‘boutique’ in Japanese, offers a hand-picked selection of luxury clothing and accessories from top Japanese designers, many of whom have been selected for major runway shows and exhibitions at Tokyo Fashion Week. Designers include Atsushi Nakashima, Divka, Ritsuko Shirahama, Somarta, and Yasutoshi Ezumi.

The concept of the online retailer is to offer exclusivity, generally Butikku is the only retailer selling these designer items within Europe, and it sells no more than three or four of anyone style, to ensure that its customers can find “something truly special” that they won’t find anywhere else.

Butikku is owned and run by entrepreneur Kevin House, who left behind a career as a consultant in the energy industry to start the fashion business.

Commenting on the brand, House said: “We have found many great designers in Japan who are producing distinctive, high-quality clothes that European women really love. Our aim is simply to help those designers to make more of their wonderful clothes available to more of the women who appreciate them.”

The pop-up is located at 39 Connaught Street and will be open until December 31.

Images: Butikku