Earth, Wind, Metal, Water, Fire

Wuhao Curated Shop

‘The wood in spring, the fire in summer, the metal in autumn, the water in winter, and the earth in the centre’ – these are not only the five elements of ancient Chinese philosophy, but also the guiding inspiration for Wuhao Curated Shop, a holistic, interdisciplinary project featuring the best of Beijing’s talent in eco-conscious art, fashion and design. And this season, as it completes its third cycle on the scene, Wuhao firmly establishes its hutong homebase as a staple source for fabulous, seasonally-rotating fashion and design installations.

Founded and curated by Isabelle Pascal, and having shown at Beijing Design Week and Milan Furniture Fair, Wuhao provides a unique perspective that effortlessly fuses old and new. Using its location in Mao’er Hutong, a classical Ming Dynasty courtyard surrounded by pavilions on all sides, Pascal assigned each structure a corresponding element, and then filled each space with the works of mostly local and occasionally international contemporary designers. This fall/winter, you’ll find men’s brogues by Shanghai designer Kim Kiroic, edgy sunglasses by Paris-meets-Los Angeles favourite Thierry Lasry, and innovative lamps from Chinese homeware brand Innovo/Pinwu, among many others. With Wuhao being a delightful, five-senses experience combining 1920s garden with 2010s goods, it’s easy to see why the roster of artists has quickly grown from 15 in 2010 to 100 and counting in early 2013 – all benefiting from what is clearly formidable fengshui. Elemental!