When you’re dropping dollars, it’s rewarding to shop with purpose. And that’s why I love concept shops. These stores stick to themes, making the experience a memorable one. Lucky for us Tokyo is full of ‘em! The latest one that I can’t stay away from is IROYA, which takes a single color and gives it every role to play in the show.

Since opening in March of 2014, every month (from the 1st) has seen the shop shrouded in a different, single color (the month I visited for this post it was black). This is presented in the varied mix of products sold there, from clothing and accessories to household doodads- and all of them in the shade of that month’s color. Many of the products are locally sourced and made, especially when it comes to the accessories. Some of the quirky, underground brands sold here have amassed followings, and each month they play the game by releasing items that match that month’s color. Especially watch out for Rotari Parker, with her fossilized pretzel and popcorn accessories (3,000yen for a brooch), and rings by RGB laboratory (2,500yen) in a manga-style Japanese alphabet. I picked up two that spell out “d’oh!”, but you can ask the sales staff and they’ll help you make your own comical combinations.

The idea for IROYA (which means literally, “the color store”) was born from a man who was a buyer for a used clothing shop and felt a stronger affinity to the colors than just the items themselves. In the IROYA store, you’ll find a mix of both new and vintage items, like band shirts, new designs from young overseas brands, or even archives from top-tier luxury houses. It’s always a surprise to see what’s going to be on the racks.

If you’re looking for something modern-traditional, there’s a lot of that too. Leather embossed coin purses and chic cardigans covered in Japanese prints are available, and in the past they’ve had scissors, knives and hand-dyed scarves on the shelves too.

In the future, we may see more than solid color themes, with hints of prints like leopard, stripes, or two-color on the horizon. If you’re in Tokyo, it would be worth it to check it out every month to see the new product mix. Even if you’re out of town they run an efficient online shop, with items separated by color.

 

The sales staff get into the dress code every day, too

DIRECTIONS:

You’ll find IROYA on cat street, the diagonal road that connects Omotesando to Shibuya, parallel to the main Meiji-dori road. IROYA is sandwiched next to an abandoned wood shack, with a faceless facade and a single window displaying that month’s color.

Check it out and add some “color”ful conversation to your wardrobe!

Online shop: Iroya Online

Open: 12:00-20:00
Closed Mondays
Tel: 03-6450-6190