The Two-Story Flagship Brings All Six Issey Miyake Brands Under One Roof in the City’s Emerging Luxury and Cultural Hub
Issey Miyake has unveiled its largest retail project in China with the opening of a new flagship at Westbund Central, the sprawling mixed-use luxury development newly debuting in Shanghai’s West Bund district.
Spanning approximately 4,100 square feet across two floors, the store marks the Japanese fashion house’s most expansive retail concept in the Chinese market to date. Located between Chinese retailer SND and South Korean label Recto, both still under development, the flagship reflects the growing ambition of Westbund Central as Shanghai’s next luxury and cultural destination.
The store was conceived by Tokujin Yoshioka, the Japanese space designer and artist who has been a longtime collaborator of the house and also designed the Issey Miyake logo. The minimalist environment brings together all six of the brand’s lines under one roof for the first time in China, including Issey Miyake, Pleats Please Issey Miyake, Homme Plissé Issey Miyake, IM Men, Bao Bao Issey Miyake and Issey Miyake Eyes.
Yoshioka’s design continues his exploration of lightness, transparency and fluidity, incorporating reflective surfaces that subtly echo the nearby Huangpu River. The space also reinforces Issey Miyake’s longstanding dialogue between fashion, technology and artistic installation.
At the entrance, visitors encounter an L-shaped gallery space anchored by a kinetic sculpture created by Yoshioka. The installation features three pleated Issey Miyake dresses attached to a wind turbine, allowing the garments to move organically like underwater creatures. First unveiled at the brand’s Aoyama store in Tokyo last year, the work transforms the signature pleating technique into a living visual experience.
The first floor houses the latest Pleats Please collection, inspired by coastal landscapes and marine textures, alongside new Bao Bao Issey Miyake designs — two of the brand’s strongest-performing businesses in China. The same level also includes the Homme Plissé collection and Issey Miyake Eyes, developed in collaboration with Japanese eyewear specialist Kaneko Optical. The newest Grit eyewear series features 3D-printed frames with textured surfaces.
Connected by a glass stairwell, the upper floor presents the latest collections from Issey Miyake and IM Men, both shown during Paris Fashion Week.
The opening underscores both Issey Miyake’s continued expansion in China and the increasing importance of experiential retail within Asia’s luxury landscape. The brand’s China business has been operated by Beijing-based Ningbo Hengcheng Everbeauty Commerce Co. since 2012 and now spans 22 stores across cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Westbund Central itself forms part of Hongkong Land’s $8 billion West Bund Financial Hub project, an ambitious development positioned at the intersection of luxury retail, technology and culture. The complex includes office towers, residences, hotels and public cultural spaces, including the Thomas Heatherwick-designed West Bund Orbit art center.