Klein Dytham Architecture gives Fender’s first flagship store a welcoming feel
It is the world’s first flagship store for the 77-year-old American brand, which is one of the most recognizable names in guitars and is particularly known for electric models like the Stratocaster.
![Photo of the exterior of the Fender flagship store, showing the outside of the](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2023/07/fender-flagship-store-klein-dytham-architecture-tokyo-japan_dezeen_2364_col_9-852x616.jpg)
For the project, Fender asked Klein Dytham Architecture to create a space that would counter the perception of guitar stores as being intimidating, particularly for women and newer players.
It hoped the store would offer a sophisticated and immersive retail experience that would encourage leisurely browsing and communicate the brand’s heritage.
Klein Dytham Architecture answered the brief with a store design it sees as creating “a destination of discovery”, with gallery exhibits, an event space, a cafe, and a “care bear” for repairs.
![Photo of the first floor of the Fender Tokyo flagship store, showing many guitars displayed on curving light wood display stands](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2023/07/fender-flagship-store-klein-dytham-architecture-tokyo-japan_dezeen_2364_col_7-852x1277.jpg)
The first floor houses the main browsing area, which features undulating wood benches and display units that are meant to echo the curves and materials of a Fender guitar. These contours are further mimicked in the lighting above.
The area also has custom plectrum-shaped tables where staff can place guitars they have removed from the display to show customers. Clothing racks holding the F is for Fender streetwear collection sit among the guitars.
The second floor, which was realized in a soft grey palette, is primarily an exhibition space called the Artists Gallery.
![Photo of a gallery-like space displaying large photos and a video of musicians and their guitars, as well as guitars in transparent display cases](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2023/07/fender-flagship-store-klein-dytham-architecture-tokyo-japan_dezeen_2364_col_14-852x568.jpg)
Here, large-scale photos and video shows famous musicians in action, each one alongside a transparent display case housing their Fender of choice.
There are also displays dedicated to Japanese- and American-designed Fenders respectively, and a sound-proofed Amp Room where customers can test run guitars and amps.
On the darker and moodier third floor, another exhibition space — the Master Builders Gallery — focuses on the work of specific craftspeople, while two VIP rooms and a custom shop are furnished with comfortable couches and provide a setting for discussing bespoke builds.
Also on this floor is a colorful display of 400 guitar finish samples that fill the length of one wall.
![Photo of a dark grey room with big couches and armchairs in the foreground and a library of colourful material and component samples along the back wall. On the side wall, a sign reads Fender Custom Shop](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2023/07/fender-flagship-store-klein-dytham-architecture-tokyo-japan_dezeen_2364_col_15-852x568.jpg)
The final floor is the basement, which houses an event space, cafe, and the Fender care bar, and where Klein Dytham Architecture endeavored to create a cozier feel with a plectrum-shaped rug and benches.
Tying the floors together is a spiral staircase with a hall-of-fame-style photo gallery on the interior, as well as a three-story-high vertical LED display on the glass facade outside that will be used for Fender-related content.
![Photo of a room with light-coloured walls, red cushioned bench seating and displays of acoustic guitars in the centre of the room, and racks full of guitar accessories at the back. Near the back wall, a man stands behind a counter with a display of guitar parts behind him and talks to a woman who is leaning on the front of the counter](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2023/07/fender-flagship-store-klein-dytham-architecture-tokyo-japan_dezeen_2364_col_0-852x568.jpg)
“Conceived as a hub and clubhouse for all things Fender, this project takes the notion of a flagship store and experiential retail beyond the next level,” Klein Dytham Architecture co-founder Mark Dytham told Dezeen.
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