It was difficult to maneuver through the thick crowd, but the clothes and decor at Nave, a SoHo store scheduled to open two days after the exclusive party, stood out nonetheless. The 1,800-sq. ft. store encompasses a collaboration of more than 10 designers, including consulting creative director Richard Chai. But the company backing the operation is Japanese, as evidenced by the aesthetic in the chosen pieces, their placement and the surrounding interior architecture.

Although this will be the only Nave boutique in the U.S. to house the entire collection, future plans for the company include heavy promotions in Japan, where the line -- designed to target women in their 20s to 40s -- will hit stores in March. - text and photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan