17 Popular Lifestyle & Fashion Select Stores In Japan – ZenMarket.jp

In Japanese terms, select stores (セレクトショップ) mean a boutique carrying various selected items. Similarily to department stores, Japanese select shops are lifestyle boutiques that offer a wide range of goods from different brands based on the taste and aesthetics of a certain lifestyle concept. Basically a one-stop shop for everything!

A good example would be BEAMS, which provides luxury goods for Japanese audience that is more active and influenced by American culture. Other well-known Japanese select shop retailers include United Arrows, Ships and Urban Research etc. 

(Photo: 30_6 Selected Store in Japan)

Compared to fast fashion brands, select shops mostly offer goods that are of higher price but still affordable compared to luxury brands. These shops curate a selection of mix-and-match products for their audience and this way customers can shop in one place for all their desired goods – thus lifestyle stores. 

Before select shops came in, there were mostly only brand-name stores (creator stores) and foreign boutiques that existed in Japan. Select shops are successful in Japan as Japanese people are generally more fashion-conscious and many people enjoy having one place for everything so they do not need to shop around and decide on what they want to buy. Especially in the mid-70s, during the rapid economic growth, young Japanese people had more money to spend on fashion.

The first famous select shop that started at that time was Miura & Sons (now called SHIPS) in Ueno, Dogenzaka in Shibuya, and Beams in Harajuku. These shops started with mostly importing items from the West Coast in America. And soon became leading stores in Japan for curated selection shops.

Select shops then developed to become fashion and lifestyle stores that offer items from a collective of brands, as well as their own line of products. Usually, prices are higher than in fast fashion/petit-pura fashion and cheap clothing stores, because they focus more on quality and aesthetics, also the main goal is to discover new brands and curate styling options for their audience. 

Most Popular 17 Japanese Select Stores You Need To Know (and you can order ONLINE)

Here is a list of the most popular selection shops in Japan where you can buy everything…Trust me when I say everything – this includes women’s, men’s and kids’ clothes, accessories, cosmetics, interior goods, books, furniture, gifts, bags, shoes, even second-hand goods…all stuff you need in these selected boutiques. From low to high prices, these curated selection shops have all the Japanese fashion and Japanese brands suited for everybody.

The best thing about them is you can order all these items online in Japan with ZenMarket and ship them internationally! No need to visit Japan to go shopping in Japan.

But beware, there are thousands of pages to browse for online shopping, so instead of footwork get ready your eye work. In any case, most of the brands also have actual stores in Japan as well so remember them for where to shop in Japan when you travel. Click on the select shop’s name to browse their online shopping site. 

You can see United Arrows stores everywhere in Japan. The brand was founded in 1989 and has been collaborating with many worldwide brands like New Balance, Dr. Martens and The North Face. One of the founders of BEAMS, Osamu Shigematsu, actually started this brand.

Their stores feautures not only clothing items but also goods for a stylish lifestyle. They have stylish and elegant designs that target a wide range of audiences. From BEAUTY & YOUTH which is like a Japanese version of Barneys, to Green Label Relaxing which sells casual clothing for married men. United Arrows has become the second biggest fashion company in Japan to Uniqlo. 

WEGO

WEGO is a great Japanese fashion brand for Harajuku fashion lovers. They offer clothing and fashion items at an affordable price, mainly targeting students and teens. WEGO has over 148 stores in Japan and they have a lot of original designs that can be mixed and matched. The stores often have sale events and the deals are very attractive. 

Uniqlo

Everyone knows about Uniqlo so we do not have to explain much. Uniqlo has grown massively worldwide and offers a variety of lifestyle goods, as well as different collaborations. Known for its high-performance innovations and all-time designs, it is much loved by many people.

BEAMS

Beams is one of the pioneer of Japanese select shop brands. It started as a small store, roughly 21-square-meter section of floorspace in Harajuku. The full original name of the store was American Life Shop Beams, and the product selection was meant to evoke the college dorm room of a UCLA student. It offered t-shirts and jeans as well as skateboards and the like—it put forth not just a vision for fashion but a vision for a style of life. Beams targets all ages and has many in-house sub-labels.

SHIPS

SHIPS started in 1975 and was originally an import store selling imported clothing and zakka (miscellaneous lifestyle goods and trinkets) from U.S. vendors in Ameyoko Shopping Street in Uneno. That store was named Miura Shohin. Later it changed its name to “Miura” and then “Miura & Sons” before ultimately transforming into SHIPS in 1977. The name originated from the founder’s wish to discover and offer a great selection of clothing from all over the world to the Japanese market on ships. 

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Dot St

Dot St is the official online website operated by ADASTRIA, a large Japanese fashion group that sells more than 30 brands and has over 1200 stores in Japan nationwide, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. You can find and buy popular Japanese brands like Global Work, niko and…, Lowrys Farm, Jeanasis, and much much more. Their brands are catered to all age groups and to a wide range of demographics with each brand having slightly different aesthetics.

Aside from fashion and lifestyle goods, they also aim to increase each customer’s lifestyle value by providing vast services like cafes and restaurants, wellness activities, and ongoing plans to expand further. What is better than being able to shop over 30 Japanese brands on one website? You will definitely be able to find something you like there.