Same (pronounced sah-mé; 'shark') is the super secret flagship store (with limited edition merch) for cult Japanese streetwear brand Lonely. So secret, in fact, they won't reveal their address, instead dropping hints on social media. So how'd we get the scoop? The 'lonely' connection! The brand's look is graphic-heavy, neo-Shōwa (Japan's mid-20th century period) with some self-conscious, tongue-in-cheek Japonisme at play.
It share a space with Esa ('feed', as in pet food), which carries original pieces by renowned Japanese costume designer, Ebata Koshirō, who's dressed everyone from Lady Gaga to, uh, Nicholas Cage.
So, finding the shop: it's in the Kita-Kore building, itself a destination (there are some other cool shops here). It looks set to be condemned (you'll know it when you see it). Go around the side to the courtyard entrance for the Garter Gallery and up the stairs to the wooden doors that look like they belong to a Shintō shrine.
