A-Cold-Wall*, the British fashion label founded by Samuel Ross, has unveiled a new flagship store in Shanghai, designed by London-based architecture studio Hesselbrand. The practice, whose previous collaborations in the fashion world involve retail design for Alyx, worked with an existing structure, which they stripped back to craft a highly bespoke and intensely ordered environment. The interior was thus transformed into the perfect canvas to display A-Cold-Wall* garments, which are inspired by an interplay of architecture and industrial design.
The store's preserved historical façade
Inside the new A-Cold-Wall* Shanghai store
The new flagship is located in Zhangyuan, a 141-year-old cultural block in Shanghai. Preserving the building's historical façade, Hesselbrand's founding directors Magnus Casselbrant, Martin Brandsdal, and Jesper Henriksson opted for a unique approach to the industrial ‘look’ the client requested.
'Stone columns are capped by a technical ceiling grid that extends infinitely beyond the illuminated screen walls'
An industrial design aesthetic can involve rough-looking, utilitarian spaces, and as a result, it might be perceived as too stark and cold. Drawing on this but balancing it for the project's retail purposes, the practice took a conceptual approach, capturing spatial qualities that tap into a mix of visual references from large galleries, museums and factories. The store now boasts a grand and timeless feel, offering an alternative concept for its genre, while nodding to monumental architecture.
Bespoke aluminium and woven mesh mannequins appear to float in front of the illuminated walls
Hesselbrand also stripped back unnecessary decoration and instead focused on the arrangement of stone columns, hidden mirrors and screen walls throughout the interior. These elements are carefully illuminated and act as larger, stand-alone details that allow for an immersive experience that helps define the store's atmosphere.
'We began with inserting precise architectural elements in plan to create clarity and order. Columns give an overarching structure, while illuminated glass screens hint at the internal activity,’ Casselbrant explains. ‘Focused lighting reinforces the architectural rhythm while the more delicate cashier plinth and ottoman seating serve as anchor points for interaction.’
The use of juxtaposing materials of different textural qualities – such as rough, bush-hammered stone, sandblasted glass, brushed aluminium and woven steel mesh – presents a strong visual language that balances the tightrope between natural and industrial. Additionally, the space is easily adaptable to host exhibitions and events for the local community, a flexibility owed to the interior arrangement's precision and its calming rhythm throughout.
'Delicate extruded aluminium profiles create an adjustable rail and shelving system that can be adapted over time'
Henriksson says: ‘By turning what was an irregular space into a highly ordered environment, we are able to bring the A-Cold Wall* collection to the forefront of the store, allowing their cult following to truly interact with the essence of the brand. The space is open for interpretation and meant to act as a platform for forming meaningful connections within the community.’
'The secondary entrance creates a direct link from the pedestrian colonnade into the heart of the store'
a-cold-wall.com
hesselbrand.com
-
Four under-the-radar travel destinations to book in 2026 – before everyone else doesYou'd be forgiven if none of these locations are on your travel bingo card – yet
-
Estudio Ome on how the goal of its landscapes ‘is to provoke, even through a subtle detail, an experience’The Mexico City-based practice explores landscape architecture in Mexico, France and beyond, seeking to unite ‘art and ecology’
-
Charlotte Chesnais brings her distinctive sensuality to sculptural new jewelleryDefined by curving shapes and luscious pearls, the jewellery designer's new collection, 'Joaillerie', has sculptural allure
-
Atelier About Architecture’s ‘house within a house, and garden within a garden’House J in Beijing, by Atelier About Architecture, is an intricate remodelling complete with a hidden indoor garden and surprising sight lines
-
A nature-inspired Chinese art centre cuts a crisp figure in a Guiyang parkA new Chinese art centre by Atelier Xi in the country's Guizhou Province is designed to bring together nature, art and community
-
Zaha Hadid Architects’ spaceship-like Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum is now openLast week, ZHA announced the opening of its latest project: a museum in Shenzhen, China, dedicated to the power of technological advancements. It was only fitting, therefore, that the building design should embrace innovation
-
A Xingfa cement factory’s reimagining breathes new life into an abandoned industrial siteWe tour the Xingfa cement factory in China, where a redesign by landscape architecture firm SWA completely transforms an old industrial site into a lush park
-
Bold, geometric minimalism rules at Toteme’s new store by Herzog & de Meuron in ChinaToteme launches a bold, monochromatic new store in Beijing – the brand’s first in China – created by Swiss architecture masters Herzog & de Meuron
-
The upcoming Zaha Hadid Architects projects set to transform the horizonA peek at Zaha Hadid Architects’ future projects, which will comprise some of the most innovative and intriguing structures in the world
-
Liu Jiakun wins 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize: explore the Chinese architect's workLiu Jiakun, 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, is celebrated for his 'deep coherence', quality and transcendent architecture
-
Zaha Hadid Architects reveals plans for a futuristic project in Shaoxing, ChinaThe cultural and arts centre looks breathtakingly modern, but takes cues from the ancient history of Shaoxing
