{"id":409,"date":"2025-10-15T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=409"},"modified":"2025-10-16T09:11:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T00:11:18","slug":"wrapping-up-the-thrill-of-shopping-the-magic-of-department-store-wrapping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=409","title":{"rendered":"Wrapping Up the Thrill of Shopping: The Magic of Department Store Wrapping"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When most people hear the word \u201cart,\u201d their minds might jump straight to paintings and sculptures displayed in museums. But one of the most accessible forms of everyday art is hiding in plain sight: the shopping bags and wrapping paper of department stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of it – Isetan instantly conjures up that iconic green tartan check, while Takashimaya is forever tied to its pink rose motif. These designs are etched into our collective memory, recognizable to all generations\u00a0 from young children to grandparents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe it isn\u2019t just the act of shopping that excites us, but the thrill of carrying an armful of those paper bags. After all, if it weren\u2019t for that anticipation, who would be content to wait as each purchase is carefully cushioned, wrapped in crisp paper, tied with a hand-finished ribbon, and finally slipped into a bag – all while making casual small talk at the counter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when did the culture of gift wrapping first begin?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since furoshiki have existed since the Heian period, Japan has long had a deeply rooted \u201cculture of wrapping.\u201d It\u2019s said that wrapping paper created specifically for gift presentation first appeared around 1905, with the opening of Japan\u2019s very first department store, Mitsukoshi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Mitsukoshi\u2019s lead, other major retailers such as Takashimaya, Matsuzakaya, and Daimaru began transforming into full-scale department stores. Soon, each was commissioning graphic designers and painters to create original packaging, giving rise to the richly designed wrapping papers that continue to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Japan especially, wrapping has never been just about covering an item. It has also served as a way to express the giver\u2019s feelings, and as a way for people to embrace the festive spirit of seasonal occasions, whether Christmas, Valentine\u2019s Day, or other celebrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan\u2019s uniquely delicate design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Mitsukoshi\u2019s Original Design Wrapping Paper \u201cHana Hiraku (Blossoming Flower)\u201d<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When talking about wrapping paper, one design we must mention first is the very first original creation by Mitsukoshi. This masterpiece was born from the hand-drawn illustrations of painter Genichiro Inokuma, who was well connected with literary giants like Yasunari Kawabata and Yukio Mishima – combined with the elegant cursive \u201cMitsukoshi\u201d lettering added by none other than Takashi Yanase, then a member of Mitsukoshi\u2019s advertising department and later famed as the creator of Anpanman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yanase\u2019s life is currently the subject of NHK\u2019s morning drama \u201cAnpan\u201d – back in 1950, just after the war, the choice of a vivid single shade of Schiaparelli Red was deliberate: wrapping paper, too, had to embody strength and confidence for the new era. The design was named Hana Hiraku (\u201cBlossoming Flower\u201d), and even 75 years after its debut, it continues to serve as a proud symbol of Mitsukoshi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of its enduring appeal lies in its graphic brilliance: no matter the size of the package or the angle from which it is seen, the pattern\u2019s beauty never wavers – this is one of the many reasons it has remained beloved for generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Isetan\u2019s original design: \u201cMacMillan \/ Isetan\u201d paper shopping bag (left) and \u201cBlack Watch \/ Isetan Men\u2019s\u201d paper shopping bag (right)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next, let\u2019s look at Isetan\u2019s original shopping bag, which was refreshed a few years ago to much buzz. Commonly known as the Isetan Tartan, its roots go back to 1956, when Isetan Shinjuku opened a shop dedicated to teenagers. The tartan skirts and scarves sold there became an instant sensation among teenage shoppers, and just two years later, the same pattern was adopted for the store\u2019s shopping bags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to 2012: after winning the \u201cTartan Award,\u201d Isetan revisited the design from scratch. Working with mills in Scotland, the spiritual home of tartan, they wove an entirely new original fabric, resulting in today\u2019s MacMillan\/Isetan (left in the image). Its counterpart, Black Watch\/Isetan Men\u2019s (right in the image), was created under the design supervision of Brian Wilton, a director of the Scottish Tartans Authority. At that point, to the classic palette of green, navy, and black, a distinctly Japanese accent was added: a deep red known as niiro (\u4e39\u8272).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both new tartans are now officially registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans, cementing Isetan\u2019s check as a modern icon with international recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the rush of modern life, it\u2019s easy to overlook the small details of the everyday. But if we take a moment to pause, we may find art quietly hidden within them. Consider shopping: the walk home with a purchase, the anticipation before opening it, and the moment of unwrapping itself – each step offers a little spark of joy, all thanks to the wrapping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Realizing that a single package can make your heart skip three times along the way can add unexpected delight to your daily routine. Perhaps this is also the perfect excuse to dig out the many shopping bags likely tucked away at the back of your closet, and – under the pretense of \u201ctidying up\u201d – take a moment to compare and rediscover their beauty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When most people hear the word \u201cart,\u201d their minds might jump straight to paintings and sculptures displayed in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_block_theme_hide_title":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[159,155,157,156,158],"editor":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":["post-409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-departmentstore","tag-flatdesign","tag-graphic","tag-texitle","tag-wrapping","with-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t