On September 14th, 2019, the world’s largest shopping event, Vogue Fashion’s Night Out, was held in Tokyo. Ahead of Kobe, Nagoya, and Osaka, the Tokyo edition of the annual event took place in the Omotesando-Harajuku-Aoyama area that is a major center for trends in the city. To coincide with the event, INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO in Minami-Aoyama hosted a special “shop” by Shinji Iwamoto of the leather brand Roberu. Crowds flocked to the venue to get their hands on the unique items Iwamoto made.

Making its debut at this one-off event at INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO was an original leather badge that Iwamoto prepared especially for it. Guests selected a leather design from four designs with alphabetical patterns, which Iwamoto then used to create their badges. As the guests watched, Iwamoto's expert hands crafted an exclusive leather badge fitted with a pin, rubber, or magnet. Guests who then posted a picture of the finished leather badge on social media with a particular hashtag could also take their customized item home with them as well as receive another leather badge with the LEXUS logo and a complimentary drink ticket.

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of Vogue Japan, which organizes Vogue Fashion’s Night Out, the theme of this year’s event was “fashion and sustainability.” Accordingly, the leather badges were an effective use of leftover material for the seats in the flagship coupe LC, a car that truly embodies the next generation of LEXUS.

The stamps for the letters printed onto the leather were vintage ones found by Iwamoto at an antiques market in the UK. “What I’m doing here is taking high-quality leather and decorating it with a retro alphabetic and punching pattern,” Iwamoto explained his approach. “The result is a leather badge that is very playful. The hand-carved stamps that provide the letters are just the right size and the font is also elegant. I saw the stamps and just knew I would want to use them one day.”

Iwamoto also chose a special type of ink for the badge prints. “In this way, we can convert leather normally used for a car seat into an accessory we put on our arm or in our hair. I hope that with these badges, people can become better acquainted with the particulars of a car interior.” Essentially what Iwamoto did at INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO was upcycle premium leather that is waterproof and more resilient against dirt the longer it is used, making it ideal for a car seat, and in the process created a whole new value for this material.

Attracting a wide range of guests, from young men and women to families, Iwamoto’s “shop” bustled with people excited to experience this addition to the annual fashion festival in central Tokyo.

At INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO, guests can also enjoy a special CRAFTED FOR LEXUS exhibition until October 10th. It features all the items in the lifestyle collection, including the contributions from Roberu, created by up-and-coming artisans who share an affinity with the LEXUS spirit of craftsmanship.

CRAFTED FOR LEXUS Exhibition
September 14 – October 10, 2019
Venue: INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO (4-21-26 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo)

Shinji Iwamoto Founder, Roberu Shinji Iwamoto taught himself how to make leather items while studying illustration. After building up good word of mouth, he founded Roberu in 2009. At the core of the brand is a concept of “handmade items, made in Japan.” Iwamoto does all the hand-stitching and machine-sewing himself in partnership with reputable leather artisans in Asakusa, Tokyo. For CRAFTED FOR LEXUS, he has produced a canvas travel bag that combines Italian leather with hemp, and a pen case fabricated with the same exquisite leather used in the LEXUS LFA.

LEXUS LC
https://lexus.jp/international/models/lc/

Vogue Fashion’s Night Out 2019
http://www.vogue.co.jp/fno/

CRAFTED FOR LEXUS
https://lexus.jp/international/brand/intersect/tokyo/crafted-for-lexus-index/