The neighborhood store, across the street from Shanghai Writers’ Association, offers a minimalistic play on the brand’s East-meets-West sensibility.

Amid the hustle and bustle of Shanghai, Samuel Gui Yang has created a quiet alcove as the Chinese brand’s first retail outpost.

The 1,300-square-foot space, featuring a sunken alcove and mezzanine, is located on the first floor of an Art Deco-influenced residential building on Julu Road. The location lives between the hyper-commercial retail establishments on West Nanjing Road and the charming streets of “Ju Fu Chang,” the city’s own Dime Square.

For Samuel Yang, who launched the New Chinese-style brand with Erik Litzén 10 years ago, the opening ushers in a new era for the brand, with a more sophisticated retail outlook.

Yang first fell in love with the street when he visited the Garden of Psyche, designed by László Hudec almost a century ago and located across the street. With a knack for choosing historic venues for runway shows, the Chinese designer has always admired the villa for its literary appeal — it was later turned into the Shanghai Writers’ Association, which continues to nurture the next generation of Chinese writers.

With its floor-to-ceiling metal display systems, matte concrete-tile flooring and antique Eight Immortals table holding court, the interior creates a contrasting dialogue with Samuel Gui Yang’s designs, which also echo the brand’s blend of Chinese modesty and Scandinavian tactility.

“The initial idea was to incorporate Julu Road’s literary culture into the realm of the retail space, which is filled with vintage books and memorabilia that inspired the brand’s design language,” Yang said.

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