CARV STORE is a specialty shop based on the concept of “CURVE”, with the shop name CARV, a one and only coined word combining letters of the richly curved alphabet, and focuses on unique apparel from Japan and abroad. Understanding “CURVE=individuality”, the store expresses individuality and diversity, as in no two curves drawn freehand will ever be the same.

Our starting point was exploring the meaning of “CURVE” from multiple angles. For example, bend, twist, distort, bulge, collapse, bounce, flex, twist, deflect…etc. By deriving more and more words, we were able to visualise the actions and phenomena. It also led to a means of examining the causes of the action or phenomenon and its effects, such as bending physically, bending intentionally, bending by natural phenomena, bending chemically, etc. Wide range of interpretations of “CURVE” are integrated within the space.

1. Distortion of the space. Clear pipes and distorted glass blocks make the space and products distorted.

2. Hand drawn line. Hand drawn lines are applied on fixtures, glass shelves, and also hanger racks. The iPhone light was used to draw curve lines and embodied for hanger racks.

3. Finishing. Mirrored and polished finish by hand on the fixtures distorted and blurred the space reflected in them.

4. Wiring. The lines drawn by the wire hanger rack are continually changing according to the movement of people and weight of the products.

5. The unexpected curves of waste stones salvaged from the factory. These stones were used in their natural state as display shelves and wire rack weight in the shop.

6. Curves created by the natural phenomenon of rust. The rust was allowed to develop for a certain period of time when the curves were drawn, then clear coating was applied to stop the rusting process on the brass counter. Natural phenomena are added to an architectural space that tends to be artificial.

7. Bending due to gravity. PVC cords with high elasticity and durability are used as the top of the fixtures. This cord sinks and curves with the weight of the goods.

8. Ingenious twisted idea. Fixtures made from unique materials that are soft to the touch in contrast to their hard appearance, and that seem heavy at first glance but float in mid-air, betray expectations in a positive way. The artworks by French artist Charles Munka in the shop brought unintentional beauty; such lines, letters, symbols and drawings left by others as 'trial scribbles' with pens and pencils, which have a sense of affinity with the shop concept.

9. Bulging imagination into the past. We have chosen to leave ink, brush and welding marks from past construction work, since these are seen as an individuality that tell the history of the building.

The Daikanyama area, where CARV STORE opened, used to be the most popular area driving fashion culture from the 1900s to the early 2000s, but then a temporary decline. But now, with the birth of this new specialty shop, a new culture is sure to be born here.