Shanghai Fashion Center

550m² - Permanent designer shopping space

 Shanghai

The project was to create a unique retail space, where new local designers exhibit, showcase and launch their collections to the public for sale and can be discovered all in one Fashion Market setting.

The design brief required a dynamic and flexible space that can change easily for fashion events and express the spirit of new designers with in the heritage of the location, which was a cotton mill in the early 20th century.  As it is a heritage site the interior architecture could not be altered.  The space had to easily accommodate 7 designers without building wall and have an interesting traffic flow encouraging exploration.

Design elements include: brightly coloured podiums for mannequin display and wall and window graphics introduce the Fashion Market concept. Historic columns are painted bright colours up to 3 meters.  The Fashion Center ‘street of shops’ has different types of tables and rails to display collections.  Some are modern and others are classical or retro style to give each ‘shop’ an individual feel.  Printed curtains with vintage drawings of European shop fronts, separate areas into ‘virtual’ boutiques where each designer can have a distinct area to showcase and sell their collections.

Colourful flooring patterns resembles a pixelated image to create a more luxury fashion ambience and a modern artistic, designer element to the space. Seating areas give a luxury shopping feel using vintage up-cycled furniture from Shanghai’s unique 1920’s & 30’s history reflecting the site’s own historical background.

The result of this design concept also was implemented successfully within a tight budget and schedule.  The interior design is contemporary and sets the retail space apart as being more design-oriented than the adjacent factory outlet shops.  The space is fully occupied by new local designers who sit together in a unique environment that looks up market yet still accessible.