With Loewe unveiling a historic exhibition and Supreme opening its first store in China, days before the fall 2024 edition of Shanghai Fashion Week, the city is packed with things to see and experience for those in town for the eight-day fashion showcase.
Here, WWD takes a look at some of the most exciting new places to see, eat and shop during Shanghai Fashion Week.
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Retail
Supreme flagship of Shanghai
The long-awaited unveiling of skate brand Supreme’s new store in Shanghai meant long lines in the short term (buyers can reserve a spot in advance on the cult label’s WeChat Mini program) and also renewed interest in the Changle Road and Fuming Road intersection, a micro-neighborhood known for its West Village-esque charm. Not only is the area home to Fly Streetwear, the city’s first serious skate shop, but it’s also steps away from Shanghai’s nightlife, hotspots like the 624Changle beer joint, and All and Heim nightclubs, known to some of the best high energy parties and music in the city.
No.291 Fumin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
House Nowhere
The imaginative world building has become even more surreal at Haus Nowhere, Gentle Monster’s downtown flagship that recently relaunched after a major makeover.
Spanning 3,000 square meters and spanning four floors, the new flagship showcases the latest offerings from Gentle Monster’s extensive brand universe, including eyewear, hand cream and fragrance, baked goods and, most recently, fashion. On the third floor there is a shopping corner for four trendy South Korean fashion labels, including Eenk, Amomento, Open YY and Thisisneverthat. For many shoppers, the main appeal of the Gentle Monster shopping experience is the museum-like store design that offers a masterclass in retail theater. This time around, Haus Nowhere’s pick-up shop installation includes an elderly robot pair, a croissant training station and a set of moving room-height doll heads.
Huaihai Middle Road No. 798-802, Huangpu District, Shanghai
LMDS
During the week, fashion insiders’ favorite boutique, LMDS, will host a Peter Do pop-up at its Taojiang Road location. Dubbed a “fashion playground” by founder Eric Young, LMDS continues to offer lesser-known brands from around the world in its three-story superstore.
Taojiang Road No. 1, Xuhui District, Shanghai
Food and lifestyle
Café Gray Deluxe at The Middle House
Until the end of April, Café Gray Deluxe at The Middle House has launched a special ‘Eastern Rhapsody’ afternoon tea in collaboration with Chinese fashion designer Shuting Qiu. The set menu consists of savory snacks and eight sweets, such as the blueberry sakura eclair and cherry rose madeleine. A lounge area of the café is decorated with Shuting Qiu prints and colors from the designer’s Fall 2024 collection, offering a lively yet tranquil atmosphere.
No. 366 Shimen Road, Jingan District, Shanghai
The Harrods Tea Rooms Shanghai
Located on the first floor of The Cha House, a restored townhouse within the HKRI Taikoo Hui development in central Shanghai, The Harrods Tea Rooms Shanghai is the British luxury retailer’s first brick-and-mortar project in the city. It offers traditional English afternoon tea with a special selection of amuse-bouches, sandwiches and freshly baked scones updated throughout the year.
No.420 Weihai Lu, Jingan District, Shanghai
Regent Shanghai on the Bund
Formerly known as the Seagull Hotel, Regent Shanghai on the Bund first opened in 1984 as one of the first hotels and as a sailors’ club after the reopening of China. It has occupied one of the best locations in the city for a long time. Located on the northern tip of the Bund, the hotel overlooks a historic embankment where colonial-style buildings now house financial institutions and luxury restaurants, as well as Pudong, the central business district and source of the city’s iconic skyline.
The property underwent an extensive expansion to house the Regent Hotel brand’s flagship project in mainland China. The venue features 135 rooms with unparalleled views of the city once described as the Paris of the East. Twenty of these are suites with a private balcony. It also features a 25-meter indoor pool, a 24-hour fitness center and a ballroom with 270-degree views of the Shanghai skyline and the Huangpu River.
Le Comptoir De Pierre Gagnaire at Capella Shanghai
With the appointment of new Chef Ramses Navarro, Shanghai’s one-star restaurant in the luxury hotel Capella Shanghai, cooking goes a step further by integrating local food culture with a creative touch, which was the original mission of the famous chef Pierre Gagnaire. Menu highlights include Guangdong sunflower poultry, steamed in a pig’s bladder and flavored with citrus fruits and fresh ginger, and blue-spotted roasted grouper from Hainan, cooked in a rich champagne sauce.
No.484 West Jianguo Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
Bamboo Beats
Exploring the idiosyncrasies of ancient Oriental homewares and culture, Bamboo Beats is an antique store known for its Asian scrolls and collectible teacups, all hand-picked by its astute Millennial founder.
Recently, Bamboo Beats unveiled a new exhibition that explores the aesthetics of the writers’ room of famous Chinese and Japanese writers, highlighting notable names such as Japanese literary titans Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Natsume Soseki and Chou Shu-ren, who spent his formative years as a medical student in Sendai. The store, hidden in a residential area, is open every day except Mondays. After the exhibition, the space will be open by appointment on the WeChat account Bamboobeats.
No. 96 Wuyuan, Xuhui District, Shanghai
Huanghe Road
Huanghe Road, or Yellow River Road, immortalized in Wong Kar Wai’s hit TV series ‘Blossoms Shanghai’, became a popular tourist hotspot that captures the grand aesthetic of 1990s Shanghai. The street is still a popular spot for authentic Shanghainese restaurants, but is now populated by food vendors selling local snacks such as pork ribs, rice cakes and scallion pancakes.
Huanghe Road
Art
Loewe’s ‘Crafted World’‘ Exhibition
On view until May 5, Loewe’s ‘Crafted World’ exhibition is a celebration of the Spanish fashion house’s rich 178-year history, its love of craft and creative director Jonathan Anderson’s first decade at the brand.
No.1000 Middle Yan’an Road, Jingan District, Shanghai
Photography Shanghai
Fotografiska, the first Asian outpost of the Swedish Contemporary Photography Museum, is housed in a former warehouse on the scenic Suzhou River. Currently on view is a retrospective of American photographer Elliott Erwitt, on view until June 2, and The Via Conbusta, on view until April 21. The latter exhibition is the winning curatorial concept of the 3rd Jimei x Arles Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image, launched in 2021 by Chanel and Three Shadows Photography Art Center. The exhibition, curated by Gan Yingying and Zhou Yichen, explores the blending of technology and spirituality.
No.127 Guangfu Road, Jingan District, Shanghai
Antenna room
The British-French duo Daniel Dewar & Grégory Gicquel’s first solo exhibition in China recently opened at Antenna Space, bringing together works from recent years. The weaving technique, which can be found in six quilts depicting a thriving ecosystem, or hand-carved wooden sculptures deftly depicting a grandmother’s sweater, conveys a sense of surreal materiality. The exhibition is open until May 11.
Room 202, Building 17, No. 50 Moganshan Road, Shanghai
Prada Rong Zhai
From April 9 to June 9, Prada Rong Zhai, the Italian luxury fashion brand’s restored mansion in central Shanghai, will unveil its first major exhibition of the year, a solo exhibition for Michaël Borremans, the renowned Belgian contemporary artist. Titled ‘The Promise’, it will be Borremans’ first solo presentation in mainland China. Borremans, born in 1963, is best known for his paintings of strangely threatening objects, which create psychologically charged atmospheres.
No.186 North Shaan Xi Road, Jingan District, Shanghai
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