Yahoo Lifestyle Toteme Unveils First China Flagship in Beijing, Designed by Herzog & de Meuron
SHANGHAI — Swedish quiet luxury player Toteme continues its global retail expansion by opening its first China flagship on Thursday in Beijing’s upscale shopping complex, Taikoo Li Sanlitun.
Spanning 1,615 square feet, the Beijing location is designed as a destination for fashion and architecture lovers, as it marked the brand’s first architectural partnership with the Swiss design firm Herzog & de Meuron.
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According to Ascan Mergenthaler, senior partner at Herzog & de Meuron, their starting point for the double-story Beijing flagship was to work with what existed already on site.
“The raw, hallowed-out space breaks with the typical scale and proportion of a standard shop layout. By thoughtfully placing the totem stair and zigzag bridge within this shell, we introduce spatial diversity and offer new, unexpected experiences,” Mergenthaler said.
Karl Lindman, cofounder of Toteme, said its first project with Herzog & de Meuron was an inspiring collaboration where they exchanged ideas organically.
“We wanted to create something that hadn’t been done before, that played with the architecture and space itself to communicate Toteme’s aesthetic values in a highly evocative and immersive way,” Lindman added.
Taking over a prime corner spot at the heart of the Sanlitun complex, the Toteme store has a 15-meter-long bench that wraps the facade in a soft glow by hidden, backlit glass.
Inside, the floor and ceiling are realized in matching high-gloss black lacquer wood texture, while custom wood tables in the same material rise from the floor. A grand sculptural lacquered steel staircase connects both floors with natural light coming through a cast glass ceiling.
For the opening, the store carries three exclusive colorways of the new Bevel bag alongside a full range of products from the spring 2025 collection.
Ready-to-wear is set against pleated white fabric walls. Accessories are placed on rippled glass that resembles ice, a nod to the brand’s Scandinavian roots. There is also a vast three-dimensional screen above the jewelry display, airing silent films by Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman.
In addition to the Beijing flagship, Toteme operates six other stores across China in cities including Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhan and Chengdu.
The brand entered China in September 2020 with the opening of an online store on Tmall. The following year, Toteme partnered with the Swedish investment fund Altor to fuel a global retail rollout, expansion in Asia, and growth of key accessories categories.
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