Last week Friday (Sept.,17, 2021), millennials of Tokyo (MoTKY) was among a select group of media and communities to be invited to the pre-opening of Tokyo23, a newly renovated Jordan store directed by atmos. 

Located in Harajuku, Tokyo23 is built with the Air Jordan brand concept in mind, but with distinct yet subtle Japanese themes throughout—from the artists featured in the store, to  the store’s interior design, to the in-store cafe itself.

The creative direction of this store aims to translate the Air Jordan brand specifically to connect with the Japanese sneaker community, creating a hub for them that represents Japan in the streetwear scene.

Japanese artist and designer Reina Koyano is one of the creatives showcased. A millennial, Reina grew up in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles, locations that have shaped her creative sensibilities. Her work is inspired by sneaker culture, American graphic novels, and traditional Japanese illustrations. 

For the Tokyo23 opening, Reina created six mind-blowing pieces—each one is a  beautiful illustration of an Air Jordan sneaker magically transformed into a powerful female character. The illustrations can be seen on a wall inside the store. 

But even before you enter the store, Reina’s work can be seen on the Tokyo23 shop front window. There, you’ll find a stunning 9 x 6ft (2.7×1.8m) illustration of a woman carrying Air Jordan VI on her shoulders, staring back with a confident smile. This image is bound to become an icon of Japanese art and sneaker culture. 

Titled “Red Means Stop,” the piece is inspired by basketball manga Slam Dunk and an iconic image of Michael Jordan himself. Through this piece, Reina wanted to depict “an immovable ambition to become whatever she wants to be, regardless of what people around her say.” 

Reina has previously worked with brands like Nike, atmos, Foot Locker, Complex, and DC Comics. Like the girl in “Red Means Stop”—whose shock of red hair and defiant pose is LAF!, btw—Reina is clearly out there kicking some serious butt! But Reina is not alone in this regard. 

Japanese artist Jun Inoue is also killing it on the global stage, having previously created an awesome mural design for the Nike headquarters in Portland, Oregon, and participated in the Paris collection of the MIHARAYASUHIRO streetwear brand. 

For the Tokyo23 opening, Jun created a fresh line of t-shirt merch: his creations seamlessly blend traditional Japanese design sensibilities, in particular the idea of ma, or negative space, into contemporary design. A strong feeling of ma can be felt in his range of Toyo23 Ts, which can be found inside the store. 

Tokyo23’s Japanese themes go beyond the artist collaborations, however. The in-store cafe, for example, is created in collaboration with LATTEST, a Japanese coffee brand with an aim to empower women baristas. 

Meanwhile, the store’s color theme of “Tokyo Grey” is created using up-cycled materials, including concrete in several shades of grey, that reflects the variety of design styles, people and culture to be found in the city, and, actually, Japan. Yes, it is what it is. 

Tokyo23 is the first such collaboration in Japan between atmos, a subsidiary of Japanese firm TEXT Trading Company, and the Air Jordan brand, a fashion line by multinational sports wear company Nike and basketball legend Michael Jordan. FWIW, in August 2021, Foot Locker acquired atmos for 360 million dollars.

written by: John Amari
photos by: Richard Lee and Michael Holmes

Find Tokyo23 in Harajuku and @tokyo23basketball
https://www.instagram.com/tokyo23basketball/

Find Reina @_vivalareina
https://www.instagram.com/_vivalareina/

Find Jun @juninoue.jp
https://www.instagram.com/juninoue.jp/

Find Jordan brand @jumpman23
https://www.instagram.com/jumpman23/

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