Directional Style in the French Concession

Dong Liang Studio

It’s funny the difference just three years can make. In 2009, Charles Wang and Ron Nam opened their first Beijing boutique and Chinese design platform to limited critical interest and expectation. Now, thanks to the soaring demand for directional homegrown style, Dong Liang Studio has expanded to include two more locations, one of which happens to be a fabulously converted lane house on the hippest street in Shanghai’s French Concession, Fumin Lu.

The studio’s whitewashed walls, blond wood floorboards, exposed beams and rustic accents provide an elegant, yet simple backdrop for what is an homage to contemporary Chinese fashion. Spread over three floors, a diverse cache of the local who’s who plus up-and-coming names lines the shelves, laid out by ascending cost.

Affordable labels including Chictopia, Miss Mean and Bin Bin McNiven’s feminine TBA occupy the ground floor, along with cutting-edge Beijinger Vega Zaishi Wang’s dramatic-silhouetted womenswear, then on level two He Yan’s tailored pieces and Uma Wang’s voluminous designs share centre stage with Xander Chou menswear and a small exhibition space for local artists.

Razor-sharp Guangzhou designer Manchit Au’s luxury Ricostru line adorns the bright loft space with muted colour-palette jersey, knit, wool, leather and silk wonders for men and women, topping off what is a fashion-forward stylista’s dream destination. What are you waiting for, purses out!