French designer fashion label Lemaire has finally launched its first physical shop in China. On 12 November, the luxury fashion brand opened the doors to its store at Taikoo Li Chengdu.
The store was designed in collaboration with F.O.G.Architecture of London, Shanghai and neighbouring Chongqing. In an interview with the brand’s two art directors, founder Christophe Lemaire and partner Sarah Lihn-Tran, the space was to reflect the unique pace of the city and its muted elegance, which coincides with the brand concept of Lemaire. The design uses subtle Chinese elements such as local Sichuan bamboo craft to pay homage to local culture, as well as Lemaire’s signature design elements like Enzo Mari furniture.
Lemaire was founded in 1991 by Lemaire and was relaunched in 2014 with Lihn-Tran after its hiatus since 2000. Lemaire is known for its “quiet luxury” aesthetic and is popular in China among the younger generations, partially due to its popular collaborations with Uniqlo.
Interestingly, the American luxury brand The Row, who is similarly minimalistic and popular among the young, also chose Chengdu as its first stop when entering China last year. Although major luxury maisons tend to use Shanghai and Beijing as their first stops (also helped by Shanghai’s “First in Shanghai” programme), relatively niche designer brands favoured by young consumers tend to choose Chengdu as their base, as the Southwest city is stereotypically known for its vibrant youthful culture, leisurely lifestyle and general “coolness”. Indeed, luxury maisons such as Louis Vuitton and Loewe have also been appealing to the youth with hyper-localised campaigns in the provincial capital of Sichuan.
As the slow-life and quiet luxury trends are still relevant in China, Lemaire and Chengdu are both known for such lifestyles and thus can more effortlessly fit the mould than other brands. It is worth watching how the brand expands in China as fashion and retail face headwinds in the economic uncertainties.
