Aishokunin Iroiro 45 New York Crosby

About

T h e I n d i g o

H o u s e

Just a five-minute walk from Karasuma Oike Station, 45R Kyoto is located along Sanjo Street. Among our street-level stores in Japan, it carries the deepest sense of history, built with carefully selected famous stones gathered from across the country. Inside, you will discover a different dimension of Kyoto as envisioned by 45R. We warmly welcome you to visit.

89 Crosby street, New York, NY10012, USA

+1 (646)-455-0182

11:00 - 18:00

Closed: Monday

Introduction

A Street Where the Spirit of Old America Remains

New York, a city of endless vibrance. Over twenty years have passed since we first opened our store on Mercer Street in Soho, and now, we have established a new boutique in this vibrant city. Located just a five-minute walk from Mercer Street, Crosby Street preserves the nostalgic essence of classic American streets amidst the bustling collection of global trends and brands that define New York. We have named the store "Ai Shokunin Iroiro 45," a place that celebrates the craftsmanship of indigo artisans from across Japan, offering a collection deeply rooted in Japanese heritage. The store officially opened on October 24, 2024.

If our clothing is founded on tradition, we believe the store itself should embody that spirit as well. While construction is typically driven by the people and materials native to the location, for this project, we made an unprecedented effort. Not only did we source wood, stone, and earth from Japan, but we also invited skilled artisans, bearers of traditional Japanese craftsmanship, to New York. Together, we built a space that embodies the spirit of MADE IN JAPAN.

Architecture

The Making of the Store

Step into the brick-red building that seamlessly blends into the nostalgic streetscape of Crosby Street, and you will first be greeted by a majestic four-panel cedar plank, fitted with mirrors. This plank, once part of the entrance to our previous store in Uptown New York, is made from an ancient cedar from Mount Daisen in Tottori Prefecture, estimated to be 400 to 500 years old. Its center curves in a dramatic hollow, and its surface bears the rugged texture of "naguri" carving, resembling a powerful ocean wave, ready to welcome guests with a captivating presence. In front, a massive paulownia log from Mount Koya, measuring up to 40 centimeters in thickness, lies in place. Its primitive, enduring form, together with the Daisen cedar, stands as a symbol of this store.

Beyond this, you will find a second entrance adorned with a traditional noren curtain. Just as stepping through a torii gate into the sacred grounds of a shrine brings a sense of renewal, we designed this entrance to offer visitors an escape into a transcendent space.

Beyond the noren lies a long, deep space reminiscent of a traditional Kyoto townhouse, with an exquisite large display fixture made from a single slab of wood. The fixture’s top is crafted from chestnut wood with a naguri finish—one of our favorite materials, used in Japanese homes since the Jomon period. It is a dense and durable wood with a beautiful grain that only grows richer with age, making it the perfect material to symbolize enduring quality.

Naguri is a traditional Japanese woodworking technique that dates back to the Yayoi period, originating from a time before tools like saws existed. It involved shaving the surface of logs by hand to create building materials. Later, Sen no Rikyu incorporated naguri into sukiya architecture, using it as an aesthetic feature in tea house designs. When touching the naguri-treated wood, the uneven texture provides an inviting tactile experience, reminiscent of the comfort of our t-shirts.

The rust-colored flooring stone, featuring shades ranging from gray to reddish-brown, was sourced from old machiya townhouses in Kyoto. In Japan, we meticulously arranged and numbered each stone based on its color and shape before transporting them to New York, ensuring they could be laid out exactly as intended on-site. It embodies the principle of thorough preparation, where "eight parts planning, two parts finishing" lead to beautiful outcomes.

At the back of the store, we have created a tokonoma alcove (a decorative recessed space in a traditional Japanese room) inspired by Tai-an, a National Treasure tea room in Japan. The walls are made of mud mixed with straw, creating an understated, rustic texture, and antique wood has been placed as the tokobashira (alcone pillar). In the ryuurei-style tea room, guests can sit on a stool carved from a single piece of camphor wood and enjoy tea at the end of their shopping experience.

What runs consistently through the design of the Crosby Street store is the essence of Japanese architecture: sustainability. By using authentic materials, wood and stone can be disassembled and reused, preserving their integrity for 100 or even 200 years, all the while becoming more beautiful with age. The same philosophy applies to our clothing. In the basement of the store, we have established the "Manzoku Kobo" atelier. Even if garments are no longer worn, with good materials they can be altered in size or shape and loved once again. Using genuine raw materials is not only kind to people and the planet but also, in the long run, kind to one’s wallet...

Through this store, we hope people from all over the world can feel our craftsmanship ethos. We hope to have the pleasure of serving you for years to come.

【 Design 】
New Material Research Laboratory
Established in 2008 by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and architect Tomoyuki Sakakida, "New Material Research Laboratory" is dedicated to researching traditional materials and techniques, striving to create entirely new forms of architecture by incorporating these elements.
Associate Architect: YUN Architecture
Construction: conceptcsi
Japanese carpentry work: ISHIMARU CO., LTD.
Plaster work: Kusumisakan Co., Ltd

【 Material Provision 】
SANKAKUYA
With an office in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and a workshop in Kutsuki, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, SANKAKUYA is a collective dedicated to creating Japanese architecture. They procure large volumes of timber as raw logs and, through the skills of their artisans, bring out the true potential of these materials in building construction.