On the south side of Dundas West Street in Little Portugal, just a few blocks east of St. Helen’s Church and west of Nosso Talho is Blue Button Shop, a clothing and lifestyle boutique that has been generating international buzz. The reason: about 90 per cent of the brands they stock are from Japan and, for most of these designers, it’s the first time their collections have been carried outside the country. That Blue Button ships worldwide means the coveted labels they stock are now readily available to a wider, eager clientele.
Tamae Miyazaki, the manager and buyer at the clothing boutique, opened the store in 2013 with business partner Brian Cheuk. Blue Button is a mecca for Japanese Americana work-wear and mature, casual clothing by brands like Engineered Garments, orSlow and Kapital, to name a few.
Inside the shop, it’s best to feel your way around. Tamae can often be found thumbing her way through the racks. She speaks about fabrics, texture, fit and styling as she touches each piece. “It’s not like fast fashion,” she explains. These pieces are meant to stay in your wardrobe season after season, year after year. Each item she views as an investment, bought to fill a need and build on what you already own — “quality over quantity” is the store mantra.
