Aaron Sharif and Sachiko Okada seem to be feeling nostalgic. After successfully launching their menswear line in Paris, Sharif and Okada returned home to London to celebrate their 10th anniversary and the opening of their first boutique.
The new store is set up in what is considered to be the oldest shoppe in London, which makes for a charming juxtaposition with the duo's innovative designs. Originally constructed in 1567 from salvaged ships' timbers, the boutique's exterior is emblazoned with the words "The Old Curiosity Shop immortalized by Charles Dickens" —a claim to fame that gives an added edge to Blaak's already unique mystique. Sharif and Okada acquired the shop from their friend Japanese shoemaker Daita Kimura, who opened his atelier in the location in 1992.
Though a 500-year-old building may sound like an odd place for so many forward-thinking fashion folks, it's what's on the inside that really counts. The store's original interior was revamped by figure skater-turned-celebrity designer Fritz (of Frick & Frack fame) in the '90s, and features a small winding staircase as well as an appropriately bizarre selection of relics. Sharif and Okada turned to Thorbjørn Ankerstjerne for the branding of the store, while Max Lamb supplied custom made furniture. All these chic features successfully enhance the collection of pieces from Blaak's autumn/winter '08 collection of cable-knit biker jackets and tartan suits, as well as Kimura's line of handmade shoes and the exclusive selection of sunglasses from Oliver Goldsmith.
How's that for satisfying your curiosity?
The new store is set up in what is considered to be the oldest shoppe in London, which makes for a charming juxtaposition with the duo's innovative designs. Originally constructed in 1567 from salvaged ships' timbers, the boutique's exterior is emblazoned with the words "The Old Curiosity Shop immortalized by Charles Dickens" —a claim to fame that gives an added edge to Blaak's already unique mystique. Sharif and Okada acquired the shop from their friend Japanese shoemaker Daita Kimura, who opened his atelier in the location in 1992.
Though a 500-year-old building may sound like an odd place for so many forward-thinking fashion folks, it's what's on the inside that really counts. The store's original interior was revamped by figure skater-turned-celebrity designer Fritz (of Frick & Frack fame) in the '90s, and features a small winding staircase as well as an appropriately bizarre selection of relics. Sharif and Okada turned to Thorbjørn Ankerstjerne for the branding of the store, while Max Lamb supplied custom made furniture. All these chic features successfully enhance the collection of pieces from Blaak's autumn/winter '08 collection of cable-knit biker jackets and tartan suits, as well as Kimura's line of handmade shoes and the exclusive selection of sunglasses from Oliver Goldsmith.
How's that for satisfying your curiosity?
