Machine-A Embarks on Global Expansion With Shanghai Store – WWD
Thu 9 Jun
Spanning 2,640 square feet and aiming to launch around September, Machine-A Shanghai will host the city’s first Raf Simons shop-in-shop.
Originally scheduled to open in early June, the opening time was delayed as the city went into a two-month strict lockdown to contain the Omicron outbreak. Now as the city recovers from the lockdown, the construction of the new store has been resumed and the aim is to open its doors around early September.
Stavros Karelis, founder and buying director of Machine-A, said the Shanghai store will be a hub for cultural and fashion exchange between London and Shanghai, as China has been a key market for Machine-A since the very beginning.
He revealed that Chinese consumers now represent more than 60 percent of the business. The store began to accept WeChat Pay and Alipay in 2018 and later launched official accounts on WeChat and Xiaohongshu to better serve its Chinese-speaking clientele.
“For me, it’s almost a natural step for Machine-A to open the first international store outside of the U.K. in Shanghai. I want it to be perceived as an appreciation of the support our Chinese audience has shown all these years,” Karelis said.
He added that while the aesthetic of the Shanghai space, which is converted from an old industrial factory, is slightly different from Machine-A London, the storytelling, in terms of the brands and the designer, will be presented in a similar manner.
Stefano Martinetto, CEO and cofounder of Tomorrow Group, said, putting Machine-A’s first international freestanding store in Shanghai is a logical decision, after observing how the market has shifted due to the pandemic.
“The world has changed in the past two years. We came to accept that rather than one unified global market, there are very large regional markets, especially the Chinese one, which are operating by a different set of rules and restrictions, and consumer consumption patterns inside the borders.
“When we invested in Machine-A, it was always working with the intention to expand the retail store, both physical and online. Our role is to support Stavros’ vision and to make Machine-A Shanghai what it is in London. It’s a point of reference for the youth culture, with both emerging and established international brands, but also a strong selection of local talents, who are becoming extremely relevant internationally,” Martinetto added.
Giovanni Pungetti, managing director of Asia at Tomorrow Group, will lead the local operation from Shanghai. Prior to joining Tomorrow in 2021, Pungetti served as CEO at OTB Group Greater China. Before that, he was the CEO of Maison Margiela for 15 years.
“What we are trying to do is to translate the London experience in a very respectful way. Machine-A has a sizable following in China. Many in the local creative industry have followed the Machine-A journey from the early days. That’s why we also want to explore this meaningful connection and work on creative projects with our local community to expand the Machine-A experience,” Pungetti said.