The storied structure, a British residence turned into a wartime hospital during the 1930s, has been transformed into the Xiamen-based fashion brand's latest retail home in Shanghai.

After an extensive search, Ms Min has found a new location as its Shanghai retail outpost, a storied architectural marvel that share an Art Deco fountain with its neighbors.

For Min, the ambience creates “an abundance of life” that only comes from lived-in quarters.

“The fountain is such a gift,” said brand founder Liu Min of the compound’s private garden space. “As I walked down the street, I couldn’t help but marvel at the French plane trees, the local art academy, the opera academy, even the senior citizens’ center,” Min said of the store’s surroundings, a particularly charming setup that reflects the area’s distinct blend of cultural retail and residential life.

The new store, adopting the prestigious address of No.190 Yueyang Road — a wartime hospital almost a century ago — is the brand’s third brick-and-mortar project since 2016. The brand opened its first store amid the bustle of Jing’an district, then relocated to the luxury shopping mall Qiantan Taikoo Li, before settling in downtown Xuhui district.

“I hope it will give the work we put so much care into a place to breathe and be shared, where we can connect with more kindred spirits — if fate brings people together,” Liu said.

Designed by the Shanghai-based Onoaa Studio, the two-story store boasts a pure white facade and floor-to-ceiling glass windows that bring tree shadows, changing lights and rhythms of the street into the store.

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