The "VCM LIFESTYLE COLLECTION," the inaugural event in the newly established promotional space on the first floor of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , will be held from Wednesday, February 16th. Under the supervision of "Vintage Collection Mall (VCM)," Japan's largest comprehensive vintage e-commerce mall, a wide range of "valuable vintage" lifestyle items that have been loved across generations will be on display. We spoke with Naoki Tobai, the representative of "VCM" who is organizing the event, about the highlights of the event, the charm of vintage and tips on how to choose them, and the significance and joy of "investing" in vintage today.

What is VCM, the comprehensive e-commerce mall that brings together only the most discerning vintage shops?

On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building will undergo a bold remodel. The vast central space on the first floor of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building will be reborn as a "place" that brings new discoveries and encounters, focusing on people, things, and events that symbolize the times, under the concept of "connection." -- Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 1st Floor Promotion.
The launch event for the promotion Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 1st floor, is the "VCM LIFESTYLE COLLECTION," a vintage festival supervised by "VCM," Japan's largest comprehensive vintage e-commerce mall. With the theme of "connecting with the times," it brings together and curates furniture, accessories, and miscellaneous goods from various eras and cultures. It offers an encounter with the profound charm and special value that only vintage lifestyle items, passed down through time, possess.

Naoki Toba, the organizer of this event, is the representative of "VCM," an online mall composed of fashion, interior design, and lifestyle, with over 100 vintage shops participating. He is also the representative of "GRIMOIRE," which operates a physical store in Shibuya Jinnan and an online shop. We first asked Mr. Toba why he became interested in vintage items and why he decided to make it his profession.


"I first became interested in vintage clothing when I was about 16 years old. I loved movies and music, but this was before the internet was widespread, so the only way to delve into that culture was to travel to the places where it was located. I saved up my part-time job money and traveled to New York for the first time, and that's when I visited a flea market. There were so many fascinating items from all different eras—not just fashion, but also miscellaneous goods and furniture. I was shocked."

Having been drawn in by the culture, and becoming captivated by the charm of vintage clothing in its "homeland," Mr. Toba has officially become a die-hard vintage enthusiast.

"My first trip abroad was a rite of passage through the world of vintage items, and at the same time, it made me want to work in a job that involved traveling back and forth between Japan and overseas. Later, in my early twenties, when I traveled around various countries as a backpacker, I discovered that countries other than the United States also have their own wonderful vintage items. Older products were less efficient to produce, but they were made with more human effort. You could say that it was something that had to be done by people. I realized that these kinds of items are different from mass-produced goods, and they are of superior quality. That's why they are valuable. Vintage fabrics for clothes and materials for furniture are often superior to new ones—I wanted to do a job that conveyed that idea."

Mr. Jubai, whose passion for vintage led him to decide to work in the vintage industry, realized that he couldn't succeed without originality. His conclusion was to open a women's vintage shop, something that was still rare in Japan at the time.

Naoki Juba's initiative to propose new value for vintage items.

"Since opening GRIMOIRE around 2008, street fashion emphasizing individuality has become increasingly popular in the Harajuku area. In addition to authentic American casual vintage clothing stores, there has been an increase in vintage shops that are more like select shops, where the tastes of the owners and buyers are strongly reflected."

Amidst this, GRIMOIRE opened its shop in a hidden location on the 7th floor of a building. Perhaps it was precisely because of the environment where various unique shops were opening one after another that we felt a stronger desire to propose a new value for vintage clothing. At the same time, the popularity of blogs and other social media was on the rise, and we were entering an era where people would proactively share and gather information themselves. From now on, it's no longer an era where you're dictated by "location." That's why we prioritized being a vintage clothing store that people would feel it was worth going out of their way to visit, even if it was in a hard-to-find and inaccessible location. The answer to that was to become a women's-only vintage clothing store, which was overwhelmingly rare at the time.

While "GRIMOIRE" strategically focused on women's wear, Mr. Toba couldn't abandon his passion for vintage men's fashion and furniture. He always harbored the idea of one day collaborating with shops that showcased their individuality in their respective fields.


"I really love vintage. So, after solidifying my focus on women's wear, which is my main area of expertise, I decided to venture into interior design, something I've always loved and been passionate about. It started with a request from an acquaintance who saw the interior of "GRIMOIRE," and from there I began taking on work coordinating the interiors of bars, offices, and other places."

I wanted to work in a wide range of vintage-related fields, including women's wear, men's wear, and interior design. Then the pandemic hit. Every vintage shop started focusing on selling used clothing."

Having already established many connections with vintage shops through organizing vintage events, Mr. Toba quickly gathered over 90 vintage shops (at the time) and launched "VCM (Vintage Collection Mall)," Japan's largest comprehensive vintage e-commerce mall, in June 2021.

"Precisely because of the difficult situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we all wanted to cooperate. I've always felt there was great potential in bringing together unique shops in one place. Also, from the very beginning of launching the mall, I envisioned not only online sales but also real-world events like overseas flea markets. I never gave up on the idea of realizing a physical store like a flea market. This 'VCM LIFESTYLE COLLECTION' is one of those ideas."

"Valuable Vintage" and "Next-Generation Luxury"

At the 'VCM LIFESTYLE COLLECTION,' you can expect to encounter high-quality vintage items that have been passed down from person to person, transcending time and borders, including timeless masterpieces of chairs by great architects and designers such as Shiro Kuramata and Philippe Starck, objects and miscellaneous goods that add subtle accents to everyday life, rugs and posters that strongly evoke history and culture, and accessories imbued with the passion of their creators.

The richness of life through incorporating vintage items, the intrinsic value that is not diminished by age, and the joy of playing an important role in passing on humanity's heritage to future generations—by deliberately focusing on home furnishings and lifestyle items rather than clothing, the theme of "connection with the times" is strongly felt by everyone.


"VCM's philosophy is to preserve valuable vintage items for future generations. There are so many truly valuable vintage items in the world, but in order to properly pass them on, we must convey the 'reason' behind them. In other words, I believe we must not only sell products but also deliver information."

Of course, values like SDGs and sustainability are major factors supporting the popularity of vintage items. But what I truly hope for with the VCM initiative is that as many people as possible will come to realize the value of 'vintage items'."

By holding a large-scale event called "VCM LIFESTYLE COLLECTION," Isetan Shinjuku has acknowledged that these "valuable vintage" items are meaningful and truly valuable to Isetan Men's customers.

"I believe Isetan Shinjuku is one of Japan's leading department stores. It's incredibly gratifying that a store like that is helping to connect customers with items that professionals I trust truly consider to be 'valuable vintage' pieces. Currently, vintage items are increasing in value year after year due to their rarity. Many now command prices comparable to luxury brands. The fact that Japan's top department store has recognized the value of such vintage items may change public perception."

What is luxury? It's not enough for a product made by a high-end brand using the finest materials. It's about objects that retain their value even when old, worn, or with the passage of time. Incorporating such "valuable vintage" items into your life, cherishing them, and passing them down to future generations—isn't this true luxury in the modern age?

"When I launched VCM, the first message I conveyed to everyone in the project proposal was this: Let's all work together to preserve 'valuable vintage' items and propose 'next-generation luxury.' Vintage items, which cannot be reproduced, will only decrease in number, never increase. And considering their condition, there are no two identical items in the world. In other words, 'valuable vintage' can be said to be 'next-generation luxury' that possesses the specialness and rarity of art, as well as asset value."

Encountering vintage items is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Indeed, "valuable vintage items" may be what we call the "next luxury" of the future. However, some people may not be very familiar with vintage items and may think, "I don't know how to choose them or how to incorporate them into my life!" But don't worry. Mr. Juba taught us that incorporating vintage items into your current lifestyle is not that difficult.


"Certainly, starting with large pieces of furniture might be a bit daunting. For those who are incorporating vintage into their lifestyle for the first time, I suggest starting with small items like ceramic vases. Dishes look beautiful even without anything inside, and I think they blend well with any home. Rugs and other floor coverings are also a good choice."

In terms of furniture, mid-century furniture and products produced around the 1950s include many reproductions and reissues, making it easy to mix new and vintage pieces while maintaining a consistent design aesthetic.

"VCM LIFESTYLE COLLECTION" is a pop-up event limited to two weeks. From small accessories to large items, from vintage-style products to highly sought-after masterpieces, Mr. Toba says, "I think everyone will surely encounter something new." It can be said that this is a dream space where truly valuable vintage items, which would normally be scattered throughout Japan or not be seen on a regular basis, are gathered in one place. The encounter there is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You shouldn't miss this chance to experience and interact with these items in a real-world setting.

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This project focuses on exhibiting and selling handwoven tribal rugs, showcasing local lifestyles and values.
Tribal rugs vividly reflect the rich culture nurtured by the local environment and history. We are committed to hand-weaving, and our skilled pickers carefully select each and every rug to deliver unique pieces that express the weaver's individual style and feelings, which cannot be expressed through machine weaving.

"This rug specialty shop boasts an impressive stock. The owner also runs WALL, a poster specialty shop. They reportedly keep thousands of rugs in stock at all times, ranging from the Middle East, Europe, and Mexico, and from 100 years ago to the present day, in a variety of sizes."

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"Vintage Poster Curating Team" primarily deals in vintage posters from various countries, covering music, film, art, and advertising from the 1940s to around the 2000s. Amidst the decline of print media, their mission is to deliver the cultural act of decorating and viewing paper, while conveying the historical context of each era through vintage posters.

"A specialty poster shop. The owner has extensive overseas experience and is incredibly knowledgeable about culture. They possess a large collection of collector's pieces that you won't find anywhere else, including rare, non-commercial posters that weren't sold at the time."

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This select vintage shop is located in Daikanyama. They source vintage items from all over America, and carefully alter and remodel them to suit the era and material of the garments before delivering them to customers. They offer a wide range of items, from clothing to accessories and miscellaneous goods, mainly from the 1950s to the 1970s. This time, they are focusing on men's jewelry such as college rings, and fashion accessories filled with the attention to detail characteristic of vintage items.

"This vintage shop focuses not only on fashion but also on jewelry and fashion accessories. While silver is a given, their gold college rings and military rings are particularly appealing. A wide range of items from different eras are carefully selected."

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SPEAKEASY is a general term for speakeasies during the Prohibition era in the United States in the 1920s. In 2008, the store, which initially sold deadstock vintage eyeglasses and sunglasses online only as "M VINTAGE SUNGLASSES COLLECTION," was reborn as a physical store under the name SPEAKEASY. In 2012, based in Kobe, the owner, who had experience as a buyer in New York, developed products with a unique perspective that transcends conventional boundaries. This pop-up store will feature rare and highly valuable genuine leather eyeglasses, as well as French frames from the 1940s and 50s.

"This is a renowned vintage eyewear store with its main branch in Kobe. This time, they will be mainly featuring frames from the golden age of French frames, the 1940s and 50s. At Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , professional staff members who are well-versed in vintage frames will be there to help you find the perfect pair."

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A brand that creates relationships between diverse phenomena. Inspired by the small pieces/dowels inserted into the interior when joining furniture pieces, it explores new landscapes that deviate from the expected harmony of black and everyday life. We have prepared a special lineup exclusively for Shinjuku ISETAN MEN'S , centering on rare designer furniture.

"This shop is run by an owner who also works as an architect. They offer designer chairs that you wouldn't normally see, such as those by Shiro Kuramata and Mario Botta from the Netherlands."

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Nestled in Fujisawa City, surrounded by the sea and mountains, lies JOGLAR. Stepping through its doors reveals a beautiful world of French antiques. The items possess a sense of weight and substance, yet also exude a warmth. The shop primarily features rare and highly valuable items, carefully selected one by one in France.

"We are a specialty shop for French antiques located in Kamakura. We offer a wide selection of genuine French antiques, from everyday items to store fixtures, focusing on general merchandise."

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Sterling silver 925 jewelry collected from overseas. Focusing on old Mexican silver from the 1950s to the 1980s, we select unisex, elegant, and sophisticated designs that exude an artistic and primitive atmosphere.

"We stock modern vintage silver jewelry, primarily sourced from the United States. We offer fashionable vintage pieces that can be worn regardless of gender."

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Art glass made in Egyptian glass workshops. Each piece is handcrafted, resulting in Egyptian art characterized by its exotic forms and colors.

"It's rapidly gaining popularity at pop-up shops and other events. With its wide variety of colorful options and different shapes, there's the added fun of choosing which one to get, and I think it's a superb item that instantly adds a touch of elegance to any space."

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We select artworks by international artists, vintage objects, and a collection of minerals that we view as art pieces from around the world.

"This is an object collection by the owner couple who also run the aforementioned sir and YOKI. They have a strong focus on uniquely designed art objects, and their perspective is incredibly interesting. There are plenty of items that can be used to add a touch of flair to your interior."