Bottega Veneta Fights for Tokyo’s Hotel Okura

This past friday the Italian luxury brand, Bottega Veneta, announced its campaign to save the historical Hotel Okura in Tokyo, Japan from renovation. This initiative, called #MyMomentAtOkura, was first launched on December 10, 2014 and is an ongoing campaign to honor- and retain- Japan’s Modernist architecture.

The brand’s creative director, Tomas Maeir, is personally endorsing this campaign as he has a longstanding relationship with the hotel and a love for post-war Modernist architecture. Maeir is sharing photos from his time at Hotel Okura with the hashtag #MyMomentAtOkura, and is inviting all guests and admirers of the hotel to do the same.

(A screenshot of the official #MyMomentAtOkura page showing Hotel Okura’s Modernist interior.)

In a quote from The Glass Magazine, Tomas Maeir said “As a longtime admirer of Japanese Modernism, I am deeply saddened that these great buildings might soon disappear. We hope that Bottega Veneta can help promote awareness of this issue, as we believe that great design is timeless. As part of the cultural heritage of the future, it would be a great loss for the next generation to be unable to embrace the beauty of these icons for themselves.”

(Bottega Veneta’s Save Japan’s Modern Architecture short film.)

This renovation is not only scheduled for the beloved Hotel Okura, however, but is part of a greater plan to renovate and modernize Tokyo in preparation for the 2020 Olympics.

(A screenshot of the official #MyMomentAtOkura page.)

In an effort to preserve some of Japan’s most historical landmarks, Bottega Venetta invites users to become informed and participate by either hashtagging their photos on Instagram with #MyMomentAtOkura or emailing them directly to mymomentatokura@jp.bottegaveneta.com with #MyMomentAtOkura, your name, and the title of the image.


Credits: Bottega Veneta