Juma Studio @ FSBJ

JUMA-Four-Seasons-Hotel-Opulent-Eye-Save-the-date-Nov-3

‘Journey’ by Juma Studio opens at the Four Seasons Hotel Beijing next week.

For the last few months we have been working on a program of pop-up shops at the hotel that I believe has the potential to remake the retail landscape here in China.

With space at shopping centers in China’s top cities difficult to come by for multi-brand stores and smaller designers and traffic far too low on streets, luxury hotels are an interesting alternative for independent players. A regular flow of high-end customers, premium locations, a tendency on the Mainland toward very large lobbies and the need of these hotels for fresh content all combine to offer a very attractive environment for independent players in fashion. These types of shopping experiences have been seen at hotels in the West but they are more important in China, given the size and speed of development of the market. Niche retailers like Wuhao or a small, start-up, brand like Juma can get their foothold in this market via this kind of event.

Here’s an interesting article from the Jing Daily on the subject.

Click below to see some of the rudimentary mood boards that I created.

Zhang Chi Masks

Zhang Chi

9/11 aside, it’s funny that apocalypse-type movies are always set in New York when in Beijing the Four Horsemen always seem to be around the corner. Three more days of this and evacuation plans should be activated, but before that I need to start wearing a gas mask from Zhang Chi.

Beijing is back to hazardous 400 Pm 2.5 levels after around a half year of being at merely unhealthy levels.

Imagination Takes Wingtip

O'Quirey Patrick Jiang Jiang Ming Beijing Koen Naber

Dutch shoemaker O’Quirey is no stranger to striking brogues. Red, light blue, the orange from the national flag and tartan are just some of the unexpected colors and patterns of their most popular styles. But it’s only in Beijing that there footwear has truly become a canvas. Country Manager Koen Naber asked well-known interior decorator and owner of design store Dara, Patrick Jiang, to take his brush to a pair of pale blue wingtip brogues. Jiang is something of a local celebrity and his taste and style are well-respected by local elites and the fashion set, so there couldn’t have been a better choice. This most traditional style of Western shoe gains from the spirit and energy of China’s artistic capital with this one-of-a-kind piece that can be customized in other unique styles on request.