London streetwear brand A Cold Wall opened its first store in China on Friday, in Beijing’s Taikoo Li Sanlitun shopping district. This is the first step in an expansion into the Chinese retail landscape.
With the first Chinese store, an innovative space has been created for access to new products, exclusive launches and multi-sensory events, which also means physical access for new target groups.
Artist and A Cold Wall founder Samuel Ross aims to continue promoting the brand’s core concepts of community and culture, and with the Taikoo Li Sanlitun store create “a real platform for dialogue, idea exchange and social interaction,” according to a press release.
The most eye-catching feature of the new store is the volt blue color, specifically chosen for the region, to be used in various forms at the Chinese locations. In the Beijing store, it was used for the exterior, but also for the wireframe construction that runs throughout the store, meant to be a nod to the merging of the digital and physical worlds.
Metal X-frames are a characteristic element and are intended to create a connection to A Cold Wall’s global locations both aesthetically and conceptually. Structural supports can be found in the interior of the Taikoo Li Sanlitun store, and thick pipes next to the clothes rails are intended to encourage customers to interact with the product and display.
Ross’s background as a product designer means the store has a strong industrial flair with modernist references evident in systems, codes, modularity and architecture, but also in the garments.
Inside the store, brushed steel walls, concrete floors, fabric-covered bespoke seating, and a plush exhibition carpet provide tactile and contrasting touches.
The cool white LED signage and large screens are combined with a wall-to-wall LED light ceiling, with multiple light sources designed to set the ambiance of the store while also creating a sense of depth.
“The opening in Beijing marks the beginning of an exciting program of store openings and events that cater specifically to local consumers while maintaining a strong place in the global ACW community,” said the streetwear brand.
A Cold Wall only opened its first store in South Korea at the end of February; a second followed in early March. Striking here is the country color of a bright orange shade that runs through both shops.