On the eve of the closing of local fashion week, Schiaparelli inaugurated its first pop-up store in Shanghai. Located in the Plaza 66 shopping mall, the fashion house is banking on the dynamism of this epicenter of fashion and luxury in China to launch its territorial expansion in Asia, without denying its surrealist DNA.
The fashion house based at 21 Place Vendôme does not seem to be dampened by the Chinese luxury goods market, which was described almost a year ago as suffering from a profound slowdown. Schiaparelli chose to open its first Chinese pop-up store at the height of Shanghai Fashion Week.
The fashion week, which took place in the Middle Kingdom from October 9 to 19, attracted 200,000 participants, with a growing presence of Western brands.
With its installation scheduled to last until November 10, the brand is seeking to unveil the full extent of its catalog (jewellery, haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories) and to initiate its expansion in Asia.
Gilded Age and Surrealism
“Through the Keyhole”. This is the name of Schiaparelli’s “first retail exhibition” in Asia.
The cultural dimension is just as key, if only to raise awareness among Chinese customers of the brand’s non-conformist style, which has a more confidential and niche status than the sector’s established big names. Guides are provided to tell the story of the Maison and its products, while video screens placed inside and outside the pop-up project the runway shows of Daniel Roseberry, Artistic Director since 2019.
The ephemeral store celebrates the brand’s heritage, but also its architecture, design and interactive experience. All elements likely to appeal to a local clientele on the way to more sophisticated tastes and in search of more exclusive and unusual brands. And in this respect, Schiaparelli and its artistic director, Daniel Roseberry, applauded during the last Haute Couture week in Paris with his Phoenix show, clearly hold the upper hand.
Although the pop-up showcases the full range of the Maison’s products, Schiaparelli intends to emphasize its jewelry and Haute Couture collections. The latter are displayed in dedicated niches. As for the lesser-valued pieces, the ready-to-wear collections – at the heart of the brand’s relaunch since its acquisition by Diego Della Valle (Tod’s) in 2007 – (Spring-Summer 2024 and Autumn-Winter 2024-25), they can be tried on in a suite in the Salon Privé at Plaza 66.
The pop-up uses the theme of the lock both to mark the entrance and to delimit the ephemeral sales space. This keyhole, found as a trompe-l’œil clasp on bags, in detail on dresses and jewelry (earrings, brooches, cuff bracelets, necklaces, etc.), recalls the motif commissioned by Elsa Schiaparelli from the famous French interior designer Jean-Michel Frank in the 1930s. It was Frank who designed the decor for the brand’s Paris address, reproduced identically inside the pop-up with its white moldings, plaster sconces and furniture.
The outer shell of the pop-up evokes the hammered golden brass used in all the Maison’s creations. A color also reminiscent of gold. It’s as much a nod to the Gilded Age, which can conjure up American and European history as it does imperial China, where the metal was a powerful symbol. Gold is associated with power, wealth, longevity and happiness.
The exterior walls reproduce two of the house’s other essential motifs: the anatomical figure and the tape measure.
In short, they’ll bring Schiapparelli good luck in its quest for territorial expansion.
A gateway to Asia
For the central theme of the lock is also a metaphor. And not just of wonder or discovery, like Alice in Wonderland.
Shanghai is presented, like the pop-up, as a gateway to Asia for the Parisian House.
Interviewed by WWD, CEO Delphine Bellini declared: “This first project in China is part of our global strategy to expand our international presence and protect the uniqueness and exclusivity of our brand with the same determination.”
And Schiapparelli intends to capitalize on its strategy of rarity to counteract the downward trend in sales in China noted by most players in the luxury sector, with the exception of Hermès and Cucinelli.
Prior to this pop-up store, Schiaparelli had 5 permanent boutiques, spread between Paris, London, New York, Dallas and Beverly Hills. “Few boutiques in key locations: that’s our philosophy”, added the CEO. A strategy that can develop and maintain desirability, at a time when the sector is suffering from excessive commoditization of its products.
Not an isolated case
Schiaparelli is not the only luxury brand to capitalize on the surge in the Chinese market in Shanghai. Moncler also took advantage of Fashion Week in the Chinese megalopolis to stage a titanic show to mark its annual Moncler Genius operation.
The Genius scheme, launched in 2018 to bring inter-brand collaboration into the 20th century, involves inviting an anthology of multidisciplinary talents to revisit the Italian brand’s iconic down jacket.
This 2024 edition was no exception, with a show entitled The City of Genius. Alongside veterans Rick Owens, Palm Angels and Hiroshi Fujiwara, the show featured rapper A$ap Rocky, stylist Edward Enninful, former editor-in-chief of British Vogue , singer Willow Smith and carmaker Mercedes-Benz teaming up with Japanese designer and current Kenzo artistic director Nigo.
The local scene was not forgotten, of course, with the presence of Chinese artist Lulu Li, whose installation is powered by artificial intelligence. Opera singer Chen Lijun opened the show.
In the end, this XXL show, which took place in the 30,000 m² CSSC Pavilion, a vast shipyard perched on the Huangpu River, attracted 8,000 guests in situ and, above all, 57 million viewers on social networks.
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Read also > Semaine de la Haute Couture : Schiaparelli propose d’emblée un feu d’artifice
Featured Photo: © Schiaparelli
