Online Chinese underwear brand Banana in 蕉内 has stepped up its brick and mortar presence in a number of first-tier cities across China. Following last year’s opening of a design-led retail space in Shenzhen, an affluent and trend-conscious city across the border from Hong Kong, the fast-growing brand has opened a second outlet in the city. Situated at The MixC, a leading upscale shopping centre in the Dongmen area of town, the Banana in 蕉内 store occupies a 95 sqm. (1,023 sq.ft.) unit on an underground level and features an interior design by Some Thoughts, a design and research practice based in Shanghai. The chosen retail design codes have always been nifty and hi-tech and this store is no exception.
Contrary to the previous stores, which seem to have embedded poetic references, the design here is strictly focused on functionality and engineering which is largely captured by an orderly configuration of various shelving units, but more specifically, a suspended railing storage system that’s buzzes overhead. A material palette of metal, gravel, glue and water, which are meticulously mixed and solidified, injecting a sense of nature in an artificial way, and making organic goods output strong visual memories for customers in between structures. The new Banana in 蕉内 store carries the full range of men’s and women’s underwear, homewear and socks.
Banana in 蕉内
The MixC, 1881 Baoan Nan Lu, Level B1 (Dongmen)
518022 Shenzhen
Daily 10am-10.30pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
