Mail-order fashion company opens Harajuku showroom so fans can see the shirts before they buy, and also offers in-store exclusive patterns.

Last month, Japanese fashion label Original Stitch made the awesome announcement that it’s producing a line of high-quality Pokémon dress shirts. Things got even better when the company revealed that it’s designed unique patterns for all 151 original Kanto Pocket Monster species, and managed to sweeten the deal even more by allowing you to mix and match different patterns on the chest, pocket, collar, and other parts of the shirt, resulting in so many customization options that it’s likely no two customers’ shirts will be exactly alike.

Really, the only problem is that Original Stitch is a mail-order company, which means you have to commit to buying the shirts before seeing them in person. Or at least you had to, since the company is now opening a physical Pokémon Shirts store in downtown Tokyo.

▼ Pikachu and Eevee grace the outside of the building.

The Pokémon Shirt store is a pop-up location, scheduled to run from February 21 to 24 in Harajuku, arguably Tokyo’s best neighborhood for sophisticated youthful fashion. While you won’t be able to buy shirts off the rack, samples of all 151 patterns will be on display, as will a selection of sample shirts, so that you can see the fabric with your own eyes and feel its texture before deciding how you want to configure your shirt, which can then be ordered right there in the store.

Actually, while each of the original 151 Pokémon has its own pattern, the store will in fact have 155 patterns for you to choose from. To commemorate the line’s launch, Original Stitch has teamed up with four artists (Yu Nagaba, Inori Kito, American Eric Elms, and Thai Wisut Ponnimit) who have each produced a Pokémon Shirts shop-exclusive pattern that can’t be ordered anywhere else.

▼ This Magikarp-on-the-outside/Gyarados-on-the-inside combination, available via the standard customizer, is a particularly tempting choice.

▼ Poliwhirl, one of the most recently revealed patterns

▼ An understated Poliwag

Regardless of configuration, all Pokémon Shirts are priced at an identical 10,000 yen (US$90), with delivery projected for one month after purchase. Original Stitch also welcomes visitors who just want to come in and browse, so you don’t have to be committed to buying anything in order to enjoy the shop, since it also essentially functions as a cloth-based Pokémon art gallery.

Shop information
Pokémon Shirts / ポケモンシャーツ
Venue: The Corner / ザ・コーナー
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 5-29-1
東京都渋谷区神宮前5-29-1
Open 10 a.m.- 7 p.m.
February 21-24
Website (The Corner)

Source: Pokémon Shirts via IT Media
Images: Pokémon Shirts

Follow Casey on Twitter, where he still wants to see what the Abra pattern looks like.