2022.01.28 update

[Interview] TOWER BOX, a new tool that combines storage and interior design, will add color to your everyday life. [Updated 1/28]



The Tower Box will go on sale at the Mitsukoshi Isetan online store from around 10:00 AM on Wednesday, November 24th. To coincide with this, we asked three Isetan employees who love sneakers and shoes to talk about the appeal of the Tower Box, as well as their personal storage techniques and recent shoe trends.

[Resale Announcement] Updated January 28, 2022 (Friday)
"TOWER BOX SNEAKERS WOODEN STOOL TYPE 1"
"TOWER BOX SNEAKERS WOODEN STOOL TYPE PLUS FRONT"
"TOWER BOX SNEAKERS WOODEN STOOL TYPE PLUS SIDE"
Three types of stools will be restocked.

Sales are scheduled to resume around noon on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 (display will begin around 5 PM on Friday, January 28).
□Mitsukoshi Isetan Online Store

View the Tower Box product list at the Mitsukoshi Isetan online store.



From the right
Atsuya Watanabe ( @atsuya22 ), Digital Manager at ISETAN MEN'S
Ayumu Matsuoka ( @ayumumatsuoka ), Digital Manager, ISETAN MEN'S
GUIDE by ISETAN MITSUKOSHI Editor-in-Chief: Wataru Tsuchiya

--Everyone's love for sneakers. How long have you all been into sneakers...?


Wataru Tsuchiya (hereinafter, Tsuchiya) : I've always liked sneakers, but I really became a fan about five years ago. In my first year at the company, I was in charge of women's clothing in the store, but the following year I was transferred and switched to a casual style. At that time, I thought it might be a good conversation starter for the other employees, so I wore a low-priced model of NIKE/Nike Mags, which are self-lacing shoes inspired by the movie "Back to the Future," and sure enough, it became a conversation starter, and more importantly, I became hooked on sneakers myself. Now I'm crazy about New Balance. I currently own about 15 pairs.




Ayumu Matsuoka (hereinafter, Matsuoka) : Basketball has been a part of my life since childhood, and I've been playing since elementary school. Back then, my seniors were wearing Nike Air Force 1s, and they looked so cool that I chose and bought my first pair of sneakers of my own volition. The first pair I bought was a white base with a red sole and Swoosh. Now I own about 30 pairs of sneakers in total.

Atsuya Watanabe (hereinafter, Watanabe ) : I'm in charge of this project. I've always been on the men's casual buyer team, so I naturally had many opportunities to come into contact with sneakers, and I got hooked on them starting with Nike. I also played basketball for a long time, so I like Air Jordan 1s. I've also been wearing New Balance recently, so the number of shoes I own keeps increasing.

Matsuoka : By the way, how many pairs of shoes do you own right now?

Watanabe : I can't really count them all... (laughs). I think there are probably around 100 pairs.

Tsuchiya : Really?! (laughs)


—How do you usually store your shoes?


Tsuchiya : They're bulky, so I throw away the boxes and store them in the shoe rack in the entryway. Conversely, I would never put them in the living room. I only keep the shoes I wear often in the entryway.

Matsuoka : On the contrary, I'm the type who keeps the boxes and stores them stacked up. Once you have more than a certain number of shoes in the shoe rack by the entrance, they just won't fit anymore, right? So I store the shoes I wear often, stacked up in the room where I keep my clothes and other things. Each box has its own personality, so having them where I can see them makes me feel good. However, I think it would be a bit tough if you have as many as Watanabe-san.



Watanabe : Not all of them, but I keep many of the boxes because I like the design of the box itself.


—How did Mr. Watanabe come across Tower Box and how did it lead to its development?


Watanabe : That's right. I myself own quite a lot of shoes, which is one of the reasons why this project came about.


Watanabe : Tower Box is quite well-known among sneaker enthusiasts. Many sneaker lovers have trouble with storage, but the appeal of Tower Box is that you can stack them on top of each other. With just boxes, the shape and size vary slightly from brand to brand, and the boxes at the bottom tend to get crushed. TOWER BOX is a "display storage box" that has been improved based on surveys of sneakerheads around the world, resulting in the most optimal size and functionality.

Matsuoka : Anything that doesn't fit in the shoe rack has to be brought into the room. In that case, you have to think of the shoes themselves as one of the props in the room, as something to "show off." This is good because it blends in with the room without looking out of place.

Watanabe : What's more, while previous tower boxes were only available as clear boxes, this wooden stool is a new product, and it will be available first in Japan at the Mitsukoshi Isetan online store.

Tower Box
Wooden Stool TOWER BOX SNEAKERS WOODEN STOOL TYPE 1 ¥32,780 View Product

TYPE1 (Black/Set of 6) ¥7,480 View Product

□Mitsukoshi Isetan Online Store *Sales are scheduled to begin around 10:00 AM on Wednesday, November 24, 2021.

—What are the appealing aspects of tower boxes?


Watanabe : I think the fact that you can see what's inside is a big plus. Being able to keep your favorite things in your home and have them look good visually is the best part. Also, because it's made of a transparent material, it's easy to see what's inside from any angle, which is a great feature. And since it's designed to fit shoes, it's nice that you can store more in a small space.



Tsuchiya : This is the kind of thing you'd want to show off as part of your collection.

Matsuoka : Also, since they're all the same scale, you can keep buying the same things, and it's convenient because you can easily change the layout depending on the room or where you put it.

Tsuchiya : I'd like to use it right away (laughs). I especially like that you can put things on top of this wooden stool. Personally, I enjoy growing houseplants, and I've been wanting to put a stand like this in a sunny spot in my living room.

Matsuoka : We could also store records here!

One of its attractions is that you can enjoy various storage options.

Tsuchiya : That's true!





--Could you tell us about the new tower box that's being released?


Watanabe: The first product released was the Tower Box TYPE1. This is a low-cut model, and only the front panel opens. However, the next new product coming out is the Tower Box TYPE PLUS, which opens in two places: the front and the side panels, making it easy to put shoes in and take them out. Of course, it looks good even without a stool, and the boxes can be locked when stacked, so they won't shift and collapse. You can stack more than 10 boxes, and the bottom boxes also have ventilation holes.

Tower Box
TYPE PLUS (6-pack) ¥9,680 View product
□Mitsukoshi Isetan Online Store *Sales are scheduled to begin around 10:00 AM on Wednesday, November 24, 2021.

Matsuoka : It's not like you have to store just sneakers, right? You can store leather shoes, boots, or even clothing.

Watanabe : For example, some people store not only shoes but also caps in them.

Tower Box
Wooden Stool TOWER BOX SNEAKERS WOODEN STOOL TYPE PLUS FRONT ¥32,780 View Product
TYPE PLUS (6-pack) ¥9,680 View product
□Mitsukoshi Isetan Online Store *Sales are scheduled to begin around 10:00 AM on Wednesday, November 24, 2021.


Tsuchiya : That's true. Since it's a clear box, you can put anything in it.

Watanabe: Also, with the Tower Box TYPE PLUS, the side panels open, so you can store clothes in it normally.

Tower Box
Wooden Stool TOWER BOX SNEAKERS WOODEN STOOL TYPE PLUS SIDE ¥32,780 View Product
TYPE PLUS (6-pack) ¥9,680 View product
□Mitsukoshi Isetan Online Store *Sales are scheduled to begin around 10:00 AM on Wednesday, November 24, 2021.

Tsuchiya : This is great. Even people who aren't into sneakers can use it as a storage box.

Watanabe: Tower Box is already popular among sneaker enthusiasts, so our theme for this project is to get people who aren't sneaker freaks to experience it and incorporate it into their daily lives. It's a truly wonderful product, so we want many people to know about it.



Matsuoka : Moreover, the way it looks is completely different between clear and black.

Tsuchiya : Black might be a good choice for people who don't want to assert themselves too much.

Watanabe : And for those who want to go even further, you can use a wooden stool. You can use it as a stand and put something on top of it.


—What are your plans for the future development of the Mitsukoshi Isetan online store?



Watanabe: The items we're launching this time are the clear Tower Box TYPE PLUS, the black Tower Box TYPE ONE, and a wooden stool, but in the future we'd like to develop collaborations with various brands and artists. And we hope that this will be an opportunity for many people to experience the appeal of Tower Boxes.





View the Tower Box product list at the Mitsukoshi Isetan online store.





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Photograph: Naoto Date
Text: Kei Osawa

*All shoes in TOWERBOX are personal belongings.
*All prices include tax.
*The information in this article is current as of the time of publication. Product information may be revised or changed without notice.

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