Inaugurated to much fanfare late last summer, Houhaihui is a new commercial and cultural hub in Shenzhen‘s Nanshan district, and ever since, it has been all the buzz in the boomtown’s splurging Millennial and Gen Z circles. The new complex is not only home to AUNN Museum‘s newest outpost – mind you, the original opened in Shanghai only in 2021 – but is also home to shopping centre with a wide range of tightly curated, on-trend fashion stores, restaurants and experiential venues that resonate with a young and highly savvy demographic. One of the stores that has opened its doors at this new hybrid venue is SND, the chain that caters to fashion buyers with a distinct selection of merchandise. The retailer has been making waves nationwide with the opening of rather spectacular design-led retail spaces. Following a previous pop-up store, the new boutique in Shenzhen is the very first permanent outpost in the Pearl River Delta region.
Once again designed by Various Associates, an architecture practice based here in the city, the retail space is highly evocative, warping shoppers into another universe once they enter the premises. The entrance of SND‘s spacious, 500 sqm. (5,382 sq.ft.) boutique is a long yet lofty, semi-shielded black corridor – mind you, a black steel grill meanwhile allows ample peeks of a dune-like landscape which serves as a roof of the retail space below – which resembles mine shaft, but it’s one with ample overhead lighting, which leads to a voluminous, column-free inner space with a diagonal span of no less than 21 metres. The overhead structure has been installed to to conceal the myriad of utility pipes, but also create the understated, dune-like visual effect that adds to an elevated and immersive shopping experience. The use of iron bars is an extension of the geometric design used at the practice’s design for SND‘s first store in Chongqing which we featured in a previous post.
Display fixtures inspired by raw iron materials are placed throughout the space, creating a contrast between black metal and the neutral colour backdrop. The use of organic, non-square shapes generates a dynamic tension within the monochrome space, achieving a visual balance between power and aesthetics along the way. A large custom-made display table with large drawers for storage takes centre stage, offering sufficient space to display accessories, jewellery and other items in various ways. Special attention has been given to lighting which brings the retail space to life through a play of light and shadow and by accentuating the material and fabrics used. The new SND store stocks a tightly curated range of brands from home and abroad, and currently features coveted names such as Y/Project, Samuel Guì Yang, Lemaire, AMBUSH, MM6, Yingpei Studio, Courrèges and Fax Copy Express.
SND
Houhaihui, 3288 Houhaibin Lu, Shop L1-18 (Nanshan)
518054 Shenzhen
Publishers Note
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