Where to shop in Shanghai – 15 retailers for fashion, furniture and more

Shanghai remains the primary hub for any major brand with serious ambitions in China’s vast market. The giant ship-shaped space unveiled by Louis Vuitton last year is just the latest example. While much of the attention this century has been on the ups and downs of European luxury, consumer trends in China’s commercial capital are fast moving with increased competition from domestic brands.  

The best in class embrace a broader view of luxury and modern lifestyles to deliver international looks that reference Eastern traditions. They are also investing more in their offline shop windows, notwithstanding the significance of Tmall, Xiaohongshu and other e-commerce channels. 

Shanghai’s retail scene is sophisticated, full of confidence and less shopping-mall centric than other Asian mega cities. Heritage houses are being transformed into monobrand maisons while art deco-era architecture by László Hudec and the like are being restored and put to use as shopping compounds and public spaces (Robert Ho Tung’s former residence at Shaanxi Road 457 has just opened to the public after nearly a century). Zhangyuan’s historic shikumen (traditional stone-gate houses) are opening in stages, a quarter of a century since Xintiandi first opened, setting the bar for developers to better. 

On the eve of our sold-out Shanghai conference (and first pop-up shop and café in China), here is a selection of must-visit addresses across six districts that offer Shanghai’s singular take on fashion, design and the future of retail.

Boutiques  

Icicle
Icicle has been at the forefront of Chinese sustainable fashion for almost three decades, using natural fabrics from ethical sources and incorporating eco-friendly pigments such as pomegranate peel and pu’er tea. Married owners Ye Shouzeng and Shawna Tao continue to run their understated brand, which now operates in two timezones. Global expansion started 13 years ago with a design studio in Paris and the label has since grown to include four shops in the French capital and ownership of couture label Carven. The first Garden Store concept debuted in Shanghai in 2024, combining the two brands with a restaurant and café in a restored 1920s villa.
icicle.com.cn
2 Hengshan Road, Xuhui 

Ficus
Shanghai is known for its heritage tailoring and Ficus is one of several modern ateliers keeping up the city’s clothcutting tradition. The decade-old menswear label fuses Western tailoring with Eastern aesthetics in a direct nod to Shanghai’s “Red Gang” tailors, a school of skilled clothiers in the early 20th century who blended Saville Row silhouettes with intricate Chinese detailing. Its ready-to-wear items include a diverse range of styles including French workwear jackets and linen-knit polos with mandarin collars.
ficusshanghai.com
1F-W18, Infinitus Mall, No. 168, Hubin Road, Xintiandi

La Maison by Anthology 
Hong Kong’s menswear specialists The Anthology opened its first Shanghai outpost in January. The three storey house in the tree-lined former French Concession opens with the label’s ready-to-wear selection on the ground floor, featuring suits, jackets, knitted T-shirts and denim. The second-floor shoe salon displays original footwear and collaborations with, among others, Crockett & Jones, alongside a wider selection courtesy of Hong Kong shoe specialists Tassells. Custom tailoring takes place under exposed wooden beams in the well-lit attic. 
theanthology.net
193 Wulumuqi South Road, Xuhui 

Multibrand shops 

Labelhood
There’s no better place to take the pulse of China’s fashion-design industry than at Labelhood, an incubator and retailer that has supported independent designers for a decade. Co-founders Tasha Liu and Justin Peng have helped scores of talented fashion graduates from top design schools find firm footing in the domestic market before catapulting them across the globe. Highlights include feminine fashion line Shushu/Tong, cross-cultural label Samuel Guì Yang and quiet luxury purveyor Ruohan. Be sure to also check out Norlha, a Tibetan luxury yak wool brand.
labelhood.com 
796 Julu Road, Jing’an 

Maison Dongliang
Chinese multi-brand retailer Dongliang was conceived by Tasha Liu before she left to focus on Labelhood. Her former partner Charles Wang has continued with the business and opened its Shanghai destination shop in 2024. Maison Dongliang carries a mix of fashion, beauty and homeware items across three storeys of a colonial-era family home. International brands from The Row to Lemaire, Phoebe Philo, Casey Casey and Perfumer H sit alongside Chinese designer Junwei Lin and Jingdezhen ceramist Jingwen Wu. A tea room was added last year in an adjoining villa.
No 174 Villa, Wuyi Road, Changning

Maison Uma Wang
Chinese designer Uma Wang is no stranger to the global fashion scene, having shown collections at London, Paris and Milan fashion weeks. The Central St Martins graduate established her namesake brand in 2009, and currently operates luxury boutiques in every major city along with an international outpost in Milan. Wang opened her first Maison Uma Wang in 2025 in the former French Concession to showcase her full ready-to-wear mens and womenswear collections. Displayed alongside are pieces by brands she enjoys, such as eyewear brand and regular collaborator Rigards, Chen Lu jewellery and French porcelain brand Astier de Villatte. 
umawang.com
299 Fuxing Xi Road, Xuhui

Zzer
China’s leading pre-owned luxury retailer Zzer might have started as an online platform but today the Shanghai-based business is firmly anchored with a handful of giant, IKEA-style warehouses in major cities. Designer handbags (specifically Louis Vuitton) are by far the biggest category but jewellery, clothing and footwear are all growing in popularity. The number of international customers has also exploded in the past two years with the introduction of visa-free travel and an English-language app.
zzer.com 
01-05 B1, No. 52 Shaohong Road, Minhang

Shopping malls 

Jing An Kerry Centre
Made-in-China brands have been moving into Shanghai’s best shopping malls in recent years and the Jing An Kerry Centre is a well-appointed destination to take in this trend. Shanghai menswear label Nice Rice specialises in elevated essentials, with shops across the country. Local fragrance brands are also well represented, including Melt Season, Documents and Handhandhand. Monocle will also be joining the commercial complex’s sharply dressed crowd for a six-week retail and café pop-up – our first in Shanghai. Drop by for a range of limited edition products and prints, including several Made-in-China specials.
jingankerrycentre.com
1515 Nanjing Road West, Jing’an

Columbia Circle
What was once a collection of residential garden villas, and a country club for Shanghai’s American community in the 1920s, has been transformed into a salubrious public space boasting open courtyards, restaurants, art exhibitions and shops. Notable retailers include Shanghai-based outdoor brand An Ko Rau, slow-fashion label Klee Klee and Japanese bookshop chain Tsutaya Books. The compound is also home to Shardaa’s flagship shop and café – a “living room” that celebrates Tibetan culture. Nomadic wisdom is woven into modern innovation for a range of handcrafted products, such as outdoor camping chairs and clothing, all made by Tibetan artisans. 
1262 Yan’an West Road, Changning

Eyewear, footwear, accessories and more 

Songmont 
Founder Fu Song founded leather-goods label Songmont out of dissatisfaction with the dearth of handbag options suited to her lifestyle. The former user-experience designer has created a range of functional and well-made bags anchored in the nation’s craft traditions. The Song bag references bamboo-framed swallow kites while the Luna bag – as its name suggests – draws inspiration from the moon, a motif that holds deep meaning in Chinese culture. Founded in 2013, Songmont has established a retail presence in most major Chinese cities (including four shops in Shanghai) and with its sights now set overseas. 
songmontofficial.com
817-819 Huaihai Middle Road, Huangpu

Pane
Shoe shopping in China has come a long way from the days of buying a pair of Feiyue trainers (a 1920s-era martial arts shoe that was given a French marketing makeover). Pane was established in 2022 by Chen Ning, a finance executive with a decade’s experience in menswear. The footwear brand is grounded in archival styles and refined construction. Its signature silhouette takes cues from the German Army Trainer but with evocative colourways and premium materials. The fact that its online styles are often sold out gives you even more reason to visit its Shanghai flagship.
paneshoes.com
22 Yongyuan Road, Jing’an

Haus Nowhere Shanghai
Gentle Monster’s founder and CEO Hankook Kim is known for his highly engineered and budget-smashing shop windows. Kim’s new Haus Nowhere concept takes his passion for in-person retail to the next level by combining his three brands – Gentle Monster eyewear, Tamburins perfume and Nudake desserts – in one expansive space. The four storey, roadside Shanghai outpost is one of the clearest expressions of Kim’s vision and the future of retail: surrealist kinetic installations and video art rubbing shoulders with fragrance bottles, edgy frames and kettlebell-shaped croissants. The only non-Chinese shop on this list is worthy of a visit for its sheer scale and eye-opening ambition.
798-812 Huaihai Middle Road, Huangpu

Furniture, design and books

Design Republic
Established in 2004, architecture studio Neri&Hu has become synonymous with Shanghai’s design scene. Founders Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu conceived their retail concept shop Design Republic at the same time as the studio to introduce the Chinese market to an elegant edit of products by the world’s best talents. The flagship opened in 2013, stocking a broad selection of furniture and lighting, ranging from Artek and Maruni to Louis Poulsen. The space is set in a pre-war, red-brick police headquarters and also includes a gallery, restaurant and event space. 
thedesignrepublic.com 
511 Jiang-Ning Road, Jing’an

Stellar Works
Furniture brand Stellar Works moved production to the outskirts of Shanghai last year – a by-product of the city’s continued gentrification. Its new location in the Jiading district, which is about an hour’s drive from downtown, combines the flagship showroom, head office and factory. The Japanese-owned and operated business produces most of its furniture for hotels, restaurants and other high-end hospitality projects around the world. It regularly collaborates with notable designers, including Nendo, Yabu Pushelberg and Space Copenhagen.
stellarworks.com 
1058 Huifu Road, Waigang Town, Jiading

Ziwu 
Ziwu is a three-storey cultural complex housing a towering bookshop, gallery, café and event space. Photography exhibitions and talks, which are regularly held at the restored factory, are complemented by a selection of international magazines and vinyl records. Founder Thomas Shao is a former columnist and publisher-turned-media owner; Modern Weekly is among several titles from his group. Also an art collector, Shao launched the Yuan Link art space last year in Jing’an’s renovated 19th-century shikumen compound, Zhangyuan.
Building 1, 10 Jianguo Middle Road, Huangpu