Thursday, July 2nd 2026

Last month, we touched down in Japan for Colbo’s first-ever permanent shop-in-shop. Nestled within the Roppongi Hills location of the Tokyo-based multi-brand retailer Estnation among the fashion greats of Comme des Garçons and Maison Margiela, to name a few, this expedition marks the start of a long-term residency, setting a new stage for Colbo on the other side of the world.

While this ‘shop in shop’ may have come together physically overnight, the project itself is the result of over a year of creative exchange between brands, and a melding of minds and communities. We first met Estnation buyer Junya Kawamoto back in 2024 when the retailer bought our inaugural wholesale collection, marking the inception of a longtime partnership that would eventually pave the way for this mini-Colbo overseas. 

It was only fitting that the launch party for this special moment took place at Common, the cafe-by-day, bar-by-night where Colbo’s co-founder Tal Silberstein and Junya first chatted over coffee about their shared interests in music, fabrics, and retail. to the soundtrack of vinyl spun by Tal himself back-to-back with Japanese DJs Mizuki (No Nations) and Nari (CYK), close friends abroad gathered for an evening of good wine, music, and a special martini to celebrate the launch.

Available only at Estnation, the opening collection is built around just two definitive Colbo silhouettes; the TK Shirt, a classic oversized button-up, and the Big Pocket Pant, our utilitarian answer to the quintessential pair of jeans—developed in linen for this line. The exclusive collection consists entirely of Italian deadstock and hand-picked fabrics collaboratively sourced across a series of sessions in New York City, as well as colbo’s signature desert-inspired color palette. Plus, the introduction of true black, visually marking an evolution for the brand. Future offerings will build on this initial line, iterating upon old silhouettes and folding in newer ones as the seasons go on. 

Coming soon is a small summer capsule with two seasonal colors of the Easy Shirt,  one of which will feature a drawing of our lower east side store on the back. In many ways, this piece embodies the heart of the shop-in-shop. More than just a retailer or outpost, it’s a home away from home, a small slice of Colbo that we get to bring to Tokyo.

The shop-in-shop space carries this transnational story, too, with vinyl brought over from the bins at 51 orchard stacked on shelves among the garments, vintage furniture sourced in Japan staged among the racks, and Common coffee poured into Colbo’s signature cups (modeled after the iconic New York deli cup) for visitors during the launch. The renderings for the setting were imagined by NYC-based design duo, Of Enso, a special chance to engage friends from home amid this moment of international expansion. We also worked with longtime collaborator and photographer, Lucia Bell-Epstein, on the New York editorial for the collection which took place around Manhattan's upper east side. 

In the words of Tal himself, the vision for the shop-in-shop is simple, and not so different from the one that gave rise to the original opening of our 51 Orchard Street space back in 2021: “to build and collaborate with the local community.” We are extremely grateful to our friends at Estnation for allowing us to bring this vision global, and we can’t wait for what this next chapter in Japan brings.