Eight Beijing fashion and lifestyle boutiques for indie labels both home-grown and foreign
Chinese consumers’ spending power is growing, and they’re looking for labels that will help them stand out from the crowd. These multi-brand boutiques in Beijing might be just what they’re looking for
Shanghai may get all the attention for its trendsetters during Shanghai Fashion Week, but China’s capital, which has been known to breed thriving underground scenes in its creative industries, is also home to a growing list of concept stores, monobrand shops, and multibrand boutiques featuring home-grown talent.
Malls that were once entirely dedicated to big name high-end brands are now being punctuated by vibrant, well-executed retail spaces that connect increasingly discerning Chinese shoppers with fashion and lifestyle concepts that are China’s own.
While the last 10 or so years has seen an ebb and flow of bricks-and-mortar shops that have dared to create a platform for emerging designers, rising rents and a market preoccupied by overseas brands can make it challenging to thrive.
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But as China enters an era of accelerated spending and rising demand for online-to-offline experiences, there has been a slew of opportunists seeking to create Beijing’s own versions of Dover Street Market or Opening Ceremony.
Of course, shoppers can find a fine selection of domestic labels at department stores such as Lane Crawford and fashion veterans like Triple Major, but below are eight additional spots essential for the inquisitive shopper.
White is Good
Meng Qi and his partner Yvonne’s petite boutique looks like a white chasm deep inside the charming, colourful chaos that comes with a stroll through Beijing’s hutong neighbourhoods. Look closer, and it’s an elegantly curated sanctuary for all things white following their philosophy, “Life is white, white is good”.