Indie Fashion Boutiques & Designers Band Together For Shanghai Pop-Up

Multi-Brand Boutiques Increasing In Number And Quality In Shanghai

If there’s one development in the Chinese fashion world that we’ve felt couldn’t come quickly enough, it’s the growing number of independent multi-brand boutiques appearing in Shanghai and Beijing.

Carrying designers otherwise unavailable in China and exposing local shoppers to some of the world’s most exciting and interesting new labels, these multi-brand stores play an important function in terms of raising brand awareness and cultivating a more savvy young consumer class, as well as giving up-and-coming local designers greater exposure.

One interesting aspect about China’s multi-brand boutiques — particularly in Shanghai — is their sense of camaraderie. A sharp contrast from the cut-throat world of major retail, independent retailers have instead worked together to raise the taste quotient in China’s major cities, stocking designers that complement one another. This past weekend, over fifteen such retailers and brands came together to launch theINSIDER, a cooperative private pop-up sale hosted by the fashion website ParkLU.

Featuring top international and local designers, among them Jason Wu, Derek Lam and Helen Lee, the sale included some of the best multi-brand retailers and labels in China, including Front Row (Jing Daily interview), THE VILLA, Le Lutin (interview), Trés Mimieux, Project Aegis, and Olive Shoppe (interview).