In the heart of Shanghai is a decades-old retail space that bills itself as an “epicentre of youth culture”. At a time when e-commerce is all the rage, it promises to revitalise in-store shopping. It houses local fashion brands previously sold only online.
The 27,000-square-metre (290,000 sq ft) TX Huaihai, also known as “Youth Energy Centre”, is on Middle Huaihai Road, one of two major shopping streets in central Shanghai and the address of the high-end IAPM mall and K11 Art Mall.
Until 2008, the six-storey building housed a branch of Japanese department store chain Isetan, which closed many of its overseas stores as shopping habits evolved.
TX Huaihai has nightclubs, restaurants, exhibition spaces and a curated selection of new-wave fashion stores.
“China’s clothing industry has experienced a shift from ‘made in China’ to ‘designed in China’ over recent years, and on this foundation we wanted to showcase products from young designers in-store for customers to see, touch and feel them,” says King Yip, TX Huaihai’s brand director.