Sinz was a crazy pop-up shop tucked away in the corner of one of Laforet Harajuku’s lower basement levels.
It looked like a record store: the walls were covered in vintage vinyl LPs and classic cover art from the likes of David Bowie, Talking Heads, and Little Richard.
But on closer inspection, Sinz sold fashion accessories with a strong music / rock & roll twist: 12” discs that doubled as headwear, oversized boom box handbags, and wallets shaped like speakers and cassettes.
The tightly-knit shop girls included Harajuku luminaries such as sometimes Lady Spade musical collaborator Asachill, the rockabilly loving Miyabilly, and the gothic leaning Sio.
For a few days there, it seemed like after 1 year at Laforet, Sinz was suddenly ceasing operations and the band was breaking up in a flurry of “last day!” announcements on 1/31. But now it seems that Sinz was merely leaving Harajuku behind for 2 new locations at Ikebukuro PARCO (open until 2/18), along with another ritzy looking popup at Tsutaya Daikanyama.
Another thing I like about Sinz, their Godzilla themed promo videos that use classic Japanese monster movie fonts, footsteps, and roars. Sinz Godzilla = Shin Godzilla. Get it?
If not you can contemplate the Sinz aesthetic at a distance via their webstore.
