Fashion as Spatial Identity
The International Fine Fashion Group (IFFG) retail flagship is not just a store — it is a curated landscape of fashion identities, housed within a spatial framework of luxury and adaptability. Spread across two levels at the Golden Eagle Shopping Centre in Shanghai, the design brief called for an interior that could accommodate over 50 distinctive European fashion labels — each with its own personality, without compromising overall spatial cohesion.
What emerged is a harmonized experience of contrast and clarity, where each boutique is both visually independent and architecturally aligned. The design allows brands to express themselves through tailored materials, lighting moods, and display typologies, while maintaining a fluid visitor journey throughout. In doing so, the store becomes more than a retail environment — it becomes a stage for narrative retail, where fashion, space, and experience meet in a choreography of elegance.
Location
Golden Eagle Shopping Centre, Shanghai, China
Completion
2016
GFA
3,613 sqm
Client
International Fine Fashion Group
Services
Interiors
Designing for Diversity
Each boutique within the IFFG retail store was designed as a unique architectural expression of the brand it housed — translating fashion sensibilities into spatial form through texture, tone, and rhythm. From sleek monochrome concepts to playful material juxtapositions, each unit carries its own signature. The aim was not just to showcase products, but to extend each label’s DNA into an immersive, spatial language.
A multi-label retail floor where distinct brands occupy clearly defined zones while remaining visually connected within a unified architectural envelope. Mannequins stand at the threshold like sculptural statements, framed by custom lighting and minimalist partitions. Clean lines and a neutral white canvas allow individual merchandise to take visual prominence, while details like copper-framed plinths, floating shelves, and curated spotlighting introduce layers of brand personality.
Displaying the Art of Footwear
This retail interior showcases a refined material palette where wood, stone, and metal converge with precision to highlight craftsmanship in fashion. A warm timber floor inset defines the spatial zone for curated footwear and leather accessories, subtly elevating the display platform within the larger retail corridor. The arched display furniture — powder-coated in matte white — provides a sculptural yet restrained frame for each product, allowing shoes, bags, and accessories to take center stage without visual clutter.
Muted grey walls and black steel shelving anchor the space with a masculine sophistication, ideal for the premium Italian brands housed within. The use of full-height mirrors expands the sense of depth, while controlled lighting focuses attention on textures, silhouettes, and materials. The overall interior composition is minimal yet expressive — a space where design restraint amplifies product identity and creates a gallery-like experience of luxury retail.
Retail as Cultural Theatre
IFFG’s retail interior demonstrates how commercial design can become cultural storytelling — offering not just merchandise, but moments of identity, elegance, and surprise.
Beyond transaction and display, the space functions as a curated theatre of experiences, where customers engage with brands through spatial mood, materiality, and flow. Every corner becomes a visual pause, every boutique a scene in a larger narrative. This spatial storytelling reinforces the idea that retail design is not just about selling — it is about staging emotion, context, and memory in a way that connects deeply with the contemporary shopper.
In this image, the boutique takes on a moody cinematic quality — accentuated by spot-focused lighting, a dramatic bronze backdrop, and curated mannequin vignettes. The use of clean, theatrical voids framed by precise rack systems draws attention to each silhouette, allowing garments to speak with clarity. Like a stage set, the environment anticipates interaction and expression, inviting guests to walk through not just a store, but a story of modern luxury.
Precision in Presentation
In this boutique display, minimalism is elevated into a language of precision and poise. The garments are encased within freestanding glass vitrines, transforming fashion into exhibit — each mannequin framed like a collectible artefact. This museum-like treatment draws attention to craftsmanship and detail, encouraging a more contemplative retail experience.
The highly polished marble flooring, reflective surfaces, and deliberate lighting create an atmosphere of calm luxury. The spatial rhythm between vitrines forms a visual procession, guiding visitors through the space while maintaining an air of exclusivity and refinement. It’s not just a retail display — it’s a curated experience of fashion as art.
Careful restraint in material palette reinforces this sense of clarity and intention. Glass, mirror, leather, and metallic finishes work in harmony to foreground the garments without distraction. Even the mannequins are treated as sculptures — stripped of expression, yet commanding presence.
Ultimately, this design reflects a brand philosophy that values discipline, elegance, and respect for detail. It invites patrons to slow down, observe, and engage with the narrative of each garment — not just as product, but as a story of design, identity, and craftsmanship.
IFFG’s retail interior demonstrates how commercial design can become cultural storytelling — offering not just merchandise, but moments of identity, elegance, and surprise.
Top: Curated Accessories Display
Bottom: Minimalist Fashion Showcase
Right: Layered Boutique Interior
