The best concept stores in the world?

They're in Shanghai.

First of all… I’m back after a hiatus that was simply TOO LONG. The holidays were a rough time for me. I was in a grief cave, deeply feeling the loss of my dad and letting myself process my first Thanksgiving and Christmas without him. Then I found myself back in Shanghai and buried in work. I’m finally back on my feet and am going to work on being more consistent here.

I’m really excited to write about concept stores in Shanghai this week. On this trip, I started exploring more, mostly prompted by a hunt for a specific top from a London-based, Chinese designer named Samuel Gui Yang. I couldn’t find the top (image below), but I did go to every store that stocks the brand in Shanghai, and it opened my eyes to the creative and inspiring stores in this city.

I spend a fair amount of time traveling around major cities in the States, in Europe and in Asia these days. I think that many of us know that, in the States, multi-brand stores and concept stores have been on a steady decline. Barney’s? Gone. Totokaelo? Gone. Dover Street Market? It’s fine but it’s kind of always the same… Where do we go these days to find super inspiring, daring, out-of-the-box visual merchandising? A brand matrix that introduces us to truly new or fresh emerging designers? A buy that makes us think or that challenges us? I, for one, haven’t felt inspired while shopping at multi-brand stores since 2018 when I visited Relish in DC, and I have a feeling that its owner, Nancy Pearlstein, is still on top of her game. She is one of those rigorous retail trailblazers who turns the floor over regularly, is conceptual in her VM and who has managed to stay offline, virtually off of social media and aligned with Europe’s sale seasons. RESPECT.

Anyway, that’s my soapbox. Let’s talk Shanghai shops. I made my first stop at a shop called XC273 in Jing’an. It’s housed in a 3 story semi-industrial building that is tucked away on a side street, and it definitely has a gallery feel. I mean, it quite literally has a pool of water that feels like an art installation in the center of the ground floor. It stocks some emerging and established Euro brands as well as emerging Chinese brands.

I also love this weird psychedelic take on burlwood:

And the shape of this tree:

On the 3rd floor, there’s a space called Archivism that has the largest collection of Old Céline in the world. I mean, the owner is seriously selling iconic pieces from every.single.season., as well as iconic Margiela for Hermès pieces, archival early 90s Helmut Lang runway, hard-to-find Prada bag charms from the robot charms era…

I G A S P E D. I felt flushed and panicked. I was overwhelmed by the bounty. The prices are high, so I didn’t make a purchase, but my gosh, it was fun to see.

Next up is LMDS World, which is also housed in a 3 story building, but this space is more polished, super layered and has winding central stairs and lots of nooks and crannies to discover and uncover little accessories, books, et cetera. I love going here to pick up jewelry from local-to-China brands.

Jewelry from a Chinese brand called Silent Fire. I have a few of their vessel necklaces:

They also have lots of super funky and loud brands that aren’t really for me but that I love to see. The VM incorporates some beautiful antique pieces as well as Turkish and cowhide rugs and kind of unexpected jumble of different fixtures and furnishings that all give the space a really warm and rich feel. I also love that they style their mannequins with designer pieces accessorized with more contemporary and emerging accessories from local brands.

I love this gorgeous tea brand that I think would be perfect for gift giving:

Okay Substack is telling me I’m at my character limit, so this is all for this week, but I’ll be back soon with more tales to tell on a more consistent basis!

xx