Drake’s in Tokyo: A Conversation with Keiji Kaneko

One of the best things about clothing shops in Japan is that they often don’t really look like shops at all.

Boutique, opened by Keiji Kaneko, is in Aoyama, a polished part of Tokyo: Skyscrapers, office workers on their to and from something important, and a handful of fairly soulless and expensive stores by major European fashion houses. His, however, has the feel of something slightly more intimate. A quiet street and a single story building, a small collection of beautiful clothes placed behind vintage glass cabinets. The furniture looks like it could have been sourced for an exhibition.

“I’ve been working in fashion since I was 18, says Kaneko, “so 30 years. I’d always worked in menswear, but wanted to apply myself to women’s clothing for once, which is where Boutique arrived from.”

While Drake’s is a menswear brand, Kaneko and Boutique share a similar philosophy. His being that women were becoming increasingly interested in the style and proportions of men’s clothing, something that we’ve also noticed, so he opened a shop where they could explore just that. 

“I’ve been working in fashion since I was 18, says Kaneko, “so 30 years. I’d always worked in menswear, but wanted to apply myself to women’s clothing for once, which is where Boutique arrived from.”

While Drake’s is a menswear brand, Kaneko and Boutique share a similar philosophy. His being that women were becoming increasingly interested in the style and proportions of men’s clothing, something that we’ve also noticed, so he opened a shop where they could explore just that. 

“I hope that when you come shopping here it is with intention,” he adds. “The way we have designed everything is for the customer to hopefully appreciate the clothes and the space. Slowing things down. No rush.”