Shang Xia’s striking Shanghai flagship

Red brick building with tiled roof and brown doors and windows with shutters — (Image credit: press)

Backed by Hermès and run by Renaissance woman Jiang Qiong Er, Shang Xia is a fusion of traditional Chinese handicraft and contemporary style known for its simple, luxurious products in materials like Tibetan yak's wool and zitan wood. The brand has launched a string of successful boutiques, starting with Shanghai in 2010, followed by Beijing and Paris, designed by the master of light, open architecture, Kengo Kuma.

This month it has come full circle with a new Shanghai flagship, Maison Shangh Xia, in a 100-year-old red-brick colonial home. Kuma, again, is responsible for the all-white theme and the translucent faceted fabric that coats the interior like a heavenly honeycomb. Visitors are to think of it as home, with tea on every floor, a barefoot lounge upstairs and a gallery with painted silk works by artist Pan Xi. To celebrate, Shang Xia has unveiled a new line of cashmere capes, hand-woven like the yurts in Han Dynasty Mongolia, and a collection of vegetable-tanned leather handbags that recall the texture of bamboo.

Interior of fashion store with white textured walls and ceiling and wooden shelves and display cases

Retail interior with white textured wall and cieling and wooden tables, chairs and benches

Room with lounge chair on a red carpet and painted feature wall

Room with paper sliding doors and dark wood table and chairs

ADDRESS

Shang Xia
233 Huaihai Zhong Road
Shanghai
China

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Based in London, Ellen Himelfarb travels widely for her reports on architecture and design. Her words appear in The Times, The Telegraph, The World of Interiors, and The Globe and Mail in her native Canada. She has worked with Wallpaper* since 2006.