JAU Feature on Design Anthology

Building Bridges

Our creative director visits JAU, the independent Tokyo retailer bringing Australian design to Japanese customers

A playlist of Australian music can be heard in the background as we perch on brass and wood stools hand-made in Tasmania. Sipping on wine from regional New South Wales, we’d be forgiven for thinking we’re meeting in the backstreets of Surry Hills or Collingwood. Instead, we’re in a quiet pocket of Tomigaya, not far from Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, at a store called JAU.

‘Curating the experience is important. Not only the products, but the story,’ says JAU founder Sonny Mai. ‘My parents are Vietnamese and they moved to Australia as refugees during the Vietnam War. They really struggled through the war, and moving to Australia, having to start a life there, was quite tough for them.’

Mai explains that with JAU, he ‘wanted to show the relaxed lifestyle that Australians get to enjoy’. Two years before opening his shop, Mai had set up an office down the street and worked as a representative for Australian designers in Japan, selling their work to both smaller retailers and some of the nation’s largest department stores.

As awareness grew, Mai looked to create a space where he could speak directly to customers and allow for a more social experience. He worked with friend and architect Rie Allison of local firm ARA to conceive a warm space that captures the colour and tactility of Australia’s natural environment, creating exactly the kind of place an inquisitive visitor would want to linger in.

The shop has become an embassy of sorts for Australia’s rich, though little-known, cultural and creative industries. Here customers can enjoy coffee from Allison’s cafe MIA MIA, served in a KeepCup — a Melbourne import — while learning about the products on display.

‘When we first opened, we had a lot of people come in from the street to enjoy wine and just chill,’ Mai shares. ‘It’s actually nice having a school across the road as well, because they do a lot of community events and that’s what we’re trying to do here too, not be so much a shop but a community space.’

But for all his efforts showcasing Australian designers, Mai points out a key shortcoming. ‘One thing I definitely need to improve on is bringing more First Nations designers over here. It’s something that we are looking into now. I think that’s very important.’

Mai continues to work towards making JAU even more representative of Australia’s design landscape, with a sense of community to match. ‘Australia is quite rich in natural resources’, says Mai, and the store’s range reflects that. ‘The designers work hard to communicate that Australian lifestyle through the products.’