After Paris, New York, and Los Angeles, the lifestyle, cultural, and experiential concept store designed by Anthony Vaccarello has opened in Beijing, in the trendy Sanlitun district. Will this give a boost to Saint Laurent and the sluggish Chinese market?
Saint Laurent has found a new location for Saint Laurent Rive Droite.
After the first store, which opened in June 2019 in Paris and has since expanded to New York and Los Angeles, it is now Beijing’s turn to welcome a new branch of this experiential concept store.
The flagship district of Sanlitun
And just like the previous openings (Rue Saint Honoré in Paris, Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, and the Meatpacking District in New York), a flagship district, considered the trendiest in the Chinese capital, has been chosen for its location: the Taikoo Li Sanlitun outlet village. Before the Kering group’s flagship Parisian store, this open-air shopping complex had attracted the LVMH group’s brands, namely Dior and, more recently, Tiffany & Co.
A hub for fashion, shopping, gastronomy, and the arts, this location was predestined for the Saint Laurent Rive Droite concept, designed by Anthony Vaccarello, which combines lifestyle and culture.
With “Saint Laurent Rive Droite,” the creative director of the Kering group’s Maison since 2016 wanted to leave his mark by anticipating the needs of customers. His approach is reminiscent of the ready-to-wear line, named Saint Laurent “Rive Gauche,” launched in the 1960s. With its youthful and accessible approach, it shook up the codified and traditional world of luxury…
It was undoubtedly no coincidence that the first Saint Laurent Rive Droite was located in the former premises of the late Colette, at 213 rue Saint-Honoré (1st arrondissement). Just like the iconic concept store, which made its mark by combining fashion, art, design, lifestyle, and events, the Saint Laurent concept store also aims to be at the crossroads of these themes.
Same philosophy
And so it is the same philosophy that underpins the Beijing store today.
The new Chinese Saint Laurent Rive Droite boutique naturally offers a complete range of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear clothing, leather goods, shoes, jewelry, and other fashion accessories. Among these is the Snow Edition, the first Rive Droite collection designed for winter and equally suited to the mountains and the urban environment, combining technology, functionality, and contemporary aesthetics.
But the Chinese concept store also gives prominence to art and design, both in terms of decoration and product range, and finally, to cultural experience.
Visitors can browse through books, vinyl records, and photographs. At the heart of the concept store, they will also find cult and exceptional pieces, such as a set of three chairs by Bob Wilson, an extendable chaise longue by Pierre Chapo, and finally, historical works or pieces of furniture by French designer Charlotte Perriand, American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and Brazilian designer Jorge Zalszupin. This is a clear nod to the collecting tastes of the late Yves Saint Laurent.
Cultural hub
Aiming to be a true cultural hub, the venue also showcases contemporary works and exclusive artistic collaborations, highlighted in particular by pop-ups, meetings, and other performances.
In terms of architecture, the store, spread over three levels, stands out with its raw concrete facade ribbed like velvet, in a Chinese capital that has itself undergone a real architectural transformation and modernization in recent years.
Inside, visitors discover open spaces with a cozy atmosphere, thanks to the soft lighting that subtly highlights the pieces on display.
The intimate feel reaches its peak on the top floor, in the private lounge, dedicated to bespoke services and customers who wish to remain sheltered from prying eyes.
Reconquering the Chinese market
With this resounding retail initiative, Saint Laurent is clearly seeking to score points in an increasingly difficult and mature Chinese market.
In the same vein, Louis Vuitton made a big impression last June when it launched its “ocean liner” in Shanghai. The world’s largest flagship store for LVMH’s flagship brand is intended to be both a lifestyle shopping destination, with a boutique, and an experiential space, with a spectacular exhibition and a Café Louis Vuitton, the brand’s first restaurant in China.
In the first nine months of 2025, Saint Laurent’s revenue (all destinations combined) fell by 7% in published data (-4% on a comparable basis) (instead of -10% on a comparable basis in the first half) to €620 million. Armelle Poulou, Kering’s CFO, spoke of “new collections that were very well received” with “double-digit growth in ready-to-wear and footwear.”
For its part, the Kering group’s sales in Asia-Pacific (including China), across all brands, fell by 25% in the first half of the year.
Read also > House of Dior sets foot in China
Featured photo: © Saint Laurent Rive Droite
