Shibuya 109 is like clothes nirvana for anyone with an interest in Japanese fashion. The apparel and beauty mall is overflowing with shops and brands aimed solely at girls and young women. For 40 years the iconic fixture of the Shibuya cityscape has been at the forefront of Japanese trends and youth culture, including their collaboration with BTS last Christmas. Now they’ve decided it’s the perfect time for a makeover of their own.

The Shibuya area of Tokyo, and Shibuya 109 in particular, is the spiritual home of the dwindling ‘gyaru’ fashion. Although ‘Harajuku girls’ gained recognition overseas when Gwen Stefani took a shine to the subculture, its Shibuya counterpart is lesser known. Although there’s the sense of ‘kawaii’ which is ever present in all Japanese fashion trends, the trendsetters of gyaru showed a more mature, sexy look.

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Shibuya 109 itself is a spiralling, seemingly never-ending tower. These days it stocks all types of fashion and beauty products, from super cute to edgy hip hop style. A trip to the iconic mall can give a visitor a quick lowdown on what’s hot in Tokyo right now, even with just a glance at the immaculately dressed shop staff. The intimidating piece of architecture is also a staple of every stereotypical Shibuya photograph, with bonus points if the famous Shibuya crossing is included in the foreground.

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But this enduring look is set to change. One of the most recognisable features is the logo which takes pride of place at the top of the tower. The logo change will be decided by a competition open to anyone, to design a brand new logo.

This is an amazing chance for designers since if they win, their work will become a landmark in one of the busiest and most famous areas of Tokyo, and an icon of youth culture. Not to mention the winners will be awarded a cash prize of 1,090,000 yen (about $10,147).

Source: At Press

The competition is open from 18th April to 20th May 2018. Full details are available on the Shibuya 109 New Logo Project page (Japanese only).


By - Jess.