Azuma Makoto’s “The Art of Plants” exhibit consists of sprawling leafy installations that grow throughout the department store’s columns, clothing displays and walls. Drawing a connection between the art of clothing and the art of nature, Makoto’s installations create an interplay between fashion design and the beauty of botany. It’s a fitting partnership to honor the opening of a new branch of Japan’s oldest department store.
The store itself has created its own internal ad campaign, with museum-like displays that incorporate fashion with Makoto’s leafy creations. Labeled “Welcome to the Fashion Museum,” the glass displays couple mannequins with swirls of layered leaves, carefully controlled ivy, and three-dimensional sculptural plants in varying artistic shapes and colors.
Makoto also created mandalas of different shades of green and hung them from the mirrored ceilings of each department to mimic chandeliers. Perhaps the most breathtaking of Makoto’s installations is in the grand lobby. A nearly ten-foot-high plant “tapestry” covers a wall, while sculptural organic shapes made from plants hang like mobiles around the room. Once again, Makoto has shown that living plant art can add both style and life to any interior.
+ Azuma Makoto
