Gentleman's Haven

Project AEGIS

In a slick wood-and-graphite space that wouldn’t look out of place on the streets of New York’s Lower East Side, ‘retail lab’ Project AEGIS is a haven for Shanghai’s most stylish gentlemen, where shelves are stocked full with the who’s who of contemporary, avant-garde fashion, and the store décor matches the garb. Think oiled-black hardwood floors, walls painted in shades of grey, mirrored display surfaces, a shoe wall in the back, and plenty of Band of Outsiders, Opening Ceremony, Timo Weiland and Kitsuné, and you get the general idea of this Western wonderland.

Founded in 2010 by Winston Chow and Deager Kao as a solid middle option between big-name labels like Louis Vuitton and mass-fashion H&M in what was an entirely untapped market, Project AEGIS focuses on independent American brands making their first foray into China. Two years later, it’s still the only Chinese store to carry 2008 CFDA Best Designer nominee Shipley & Halmos, the only place to find luxurious leather goods from LA-based Billy Kirk, and one of two Shanghai shops that stock iconic New York label Rag & Bone. The city’s most fashionable ladies may have ALTER, but the gentlemen have it in the bag with Project AEGIS. Wallets out!