An Amraim Bespoke Co-founder’s Intercity Commercial Vision: A Photo Story Journey Through Shenzhen Bay MixC
Last month, Hermès’ “In the Making” global touring exhibition concluded its China premiere at Shenzhen Bay MixC, once again bringing Shenzhen into the global spotlight. Many discovered the exquisite craftsmanship and stories behind this top luxury brand’s products, an experience even new to long-time patrons.
Typically, such exhibition content is considered “trade secrets,” and Hermès has rarely showcased it publicly on such a grand scale. So, what was the brand’s intention this time? It likely stems from the market challenges and opportunities currently facing luxury brands.
As is widely known, the consumer market has been volatile in recent years. While external factors like market shifts play a role, the constant impact of information transparency brought by social media, coupled with the changing consumption habits and philosophies of younger generations, has presented significant challenges to consumer brands.
However, the human pursuit of uniqueness, belonging, scarcity value, and spiritual pleasure is eternal. These are precisely the core elements that form the bedrock of luxury brands’ competitive advantage.
Therefore, in this new era, luxury brands need to break free from centuries of ingrained thinking. Instead of maintaining an air of mystery, it’s better to be candid and bring the deeper stories behind their brands and products to the forefront. Brands that can react promptly and skillfully to changes will undoubtedly gain a larger market share. Hermès’ “In the Making” exhibition is a masterful interpretation of how luxury is embracing future opportunities, using new narratives to convey brand value and forge deeper emotional connections with its core consumers.
The Hermès “In the Making” exhibition, through live demonstrations, handcrafted workshops, interactive experiences, and film screenings, showcased how Hermès creates durable, repairable objects meant to be passed down through generations.
This exhibition’s strategic location around Hermès’ store in Shenzhen Bay MixC warrants deeper consideration. This very area, centered around Shenzhen Bay MixC, has been the venue for the 2024 VOGUE Forces of Fashion event, the 2023 CHANEL 2023/24 Cruise Collection show, and the 2021 Louis Vuitton annual exhibition:
- From November 27, 2021, to February 20, 2022, the Louis Vuitton annual exhibition “LOUIS VUITTON&” also took place at Tide Plaza within Shenzhen Talent Park, featuring eight exhibition zones that celebrated and highlighted Louis Vuitton’s collaborations with numerous artists over the past century.
- In November 2023, CHANEL held its 2023/24 Cruise Collection show at the Spring Cocoon Gymnasium in Shenzhen Bay Sports Center. This marked the brand’s first large-scale event in China since 2019.
- From October 17-23, 2024, the VOGUE Forces of Fashion event landed at Shenzhen Bay MixC, attracting “half the entertainment industry” and generating immense buzz.
The organizers of these events were either top luxury brands or leading fashion media outlets. The events were not only high-spec but also highly exclusive, often serving as the first or only stop on a global tour.
Thus, from the organizers’ perspective, many factors and extremely stringent conditions must be considered when selecting a venue. On the other hand, the influence and attention generated by these events are extraordinary, meaning that from the host city’s perspective, numerous domestic cities and venues are vying for the hosting rights.
What exactly is it about this area, centered around Shenzhen Bay MixC, that allows it to repeatedly stand out?
The Unique Appeal of a Super Urban Complex
Allure One: Diverse Venues Form a “Golden Inner Bay,” Empowering Brand Events
The strategic significance of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is self-evident. If you open a map on your phone and zoom in, from the Greater Bay Area to Shenzhen, then Nanshan, and finally to China Resources Shenzhen Bay, you’ll find it’s almost a continuous focus on the core.
Both geographically and practically, the area centered around Shenzhen Bay MixC can be considered the “Golden Inner Bay” within the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.”
This area boasts a rich array of businesses and multi-functional physical spaces, including experiential retail, headquarters offices, star-rated hotels, apartments, high-end luxury residences, and high-quality cultural and artistic venues, plus abundant natural “expansion packs” like the walkable Shenzhen Talent Park. It can cater to diverse needs, share resources and customer bases, and create significant synergistic effects.
For instance, during the 2024 VOGUE Forces of Fashion event, the main red carpet segment was held in the open-air Star Avenue district of Shenzhen Bay MixC, while the dinner party was held by the sea in the nearby Shenzhen Talent Park. The comfortable evening breeze, the lights of surrounding skyscrapers, and the reflections on the water made the dinner even more elegant and pleasant. Concurrently, high-end forums were held on the 20th floor of China Resources Tower (Spring Bamboo Shoot), and celebrity live stream studios were set up in the shopping mall’s art center event hall.
Another example is the CHANEL grand show, which required an enormous runway. The Spring Cocoon Gymnasium was the perfect choice. The NOWNESS Talent Project’s 5th Anniversary Touring Exhibition “CHINA WAVE,” supported by CHANEL, required multiple film screenings and was located in the MixC Cinema (Shenzhen’s first Dolby Cinema) within the mall, offering an ideal viewing experience. Key interactive sessions between CHANEL and consumers were held in the outdoor space, the Spring Bamboo Shoot Lawn, where a three-day event including live painting by brand graffiti artists took place.
NOWNESS Talent Project 5th Anniversary Touring Exhibition “CHINA WAVE.”
In short, regardless of the event format, whether indoor or outdoor space is required, or the size of the area, this super complex has suitable spaces to meet the organizers’ needs.
Allure Two: High-Caliber Mall Stores Deeply Bind Target Customer Groups
As Shenzhen’s second heavy luxury shopping mall, Shenzhen Bay MixC is one of the most concentrated malls for high-end consumer groups. With the recent appearance of PRADA hoardings, it is about to officially gather six major indicator heavy luxury brands.
Since its opening, the caliber and specifications of the resident brands’ stores have been consistently high. In 2021, China Resources MixC Life and CHANEL collaborated to open their first store in Shenzhen Bay MixC. As Shenzhen’s first store, it also became one of CHANEL’s highest-level full-category flagship stores nationwide. Subsequently, in 2023, CHANEL added its third CHANEL SALON in mainland China to its Shenzhen Bay MixC store.
At the same time, leading luxury brands continue to increase investment, actively expanding operating areas and deepening resource allocation. Taking the Italian luxury brand FENDI, which opened in 2022, as an example, it debuted as a two-story flagship store. In recent years, the LOUIS VUITTON two-story flagship store, which opened in 2021, has completed its exterior facade renovation; DIOR has also upgraded its original single-story store to a two-story flagship store.
Allure Three: Distinctive, Deep Space Operation Vibe, Catering to Brand Innovation and Development Needs
As a high-end shopping mall, since its opening, Shenzhen Bay MixC has continuously pushed the boundaries of commercial complexes, exploring and innovating in culture, art, and lifestyle. This ongoing enrichment of the project’s essence is remarkably similar to the substantial and consistent investments luxury brands make in culture and art.
Just as luxury brands tend to cluster when selecting store locations, they seem to follow the same logic when choosing event venues. In short, the project’s inherent tone and ambiance repeatedly attract major brands to host important events here. In turn, these events further reinforce the project’s tone and ambiance, forming a virtuous cycle.
Dreams and Ambitions Beyond Commerce
Around September this year, Shenzhen Bay MixC Phase II will also be unveiled. At that time, the entire blueprint of this project, touted as “the future commercial paradigm atop China Resources Land’s urban complexes,” will be completed. Situated in such a crucial location and catering to such high-quality customer segments, the project is undoubtedly committed to delivering with utmost sincerity and expertise. We have already deeply experienced this in Phase I, which has been operating for nearly seven years. Based on the current information disclosed about Phase II, it will undoubtedly push the entire project “a step further,” thereby unleashing greater potential and ambition.
Shenzhen Bay MixC’s Ambition One: Upgrading the Urban Cultural and Commercial Co-prosperity Ecosystem
It is reported that Shenzhen Bay MixC Phase II will have a commercial area of nearly 90,000 square meters, equivalent to creating another “Bay MixC.” Beyond commercial space, it will also bring hundreds of thousands of square meters of cultural facilities—high-level cultural venues such as the Shenzhen Bay Art Museum will provide ample space for various cultural and artistic activities like exhibitions, lectures, salons, and seminars. This will further enhance the project’s artistic ambiance and strengthen its influence beyond commerce.
The Shenzhen Bay Cultural Plaza (operated by China Resources Land), adjacent to MixC Phase II, is also poised for a breakthrough this year. As a complex integrating design art exhibitions, design education, and public cultural life, it can be seen as another major spatial “expansion pack” for the project.
It is understood that Shenzhen Bay Cultural Plaza has recently signed strategic cooperation agreements with the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the French National Furniture Archive Museum, and the Design Museum in London. In the future, it will gradually facilitate exchanges and collisions between venues, and between Shenzhen and renowned European cities, “providing an innovative paradigm for urban culture to ‘go global’ and for top global resources to ‘be introduced’ through strong alliances that bridge Chinese and Western art resources.”
We believe that in the future, Shenzhen Bay Cultural Plaza, together with Shenzhen Bay MixC and surrounding complexes, will combine to form a super landmark integrating culture, commerce, and tourism, becoming an urban lifestyle destination yearned for by countless people. A richer cultural scene will inevitably become a battleground for quality brands’ next ventures. At that time, large-scale cultural and artistic events hosted by international brands, similar to those mentioned above, will frequently land here.
Shenzhen Bay MixC’s Ambition Two: Upgrading Brand Structure to Meet More Consumer Demands
Just last week, the construction of Shenzhen Bay MixC Phase II saw significant progress, with the first wave of brand hoardings making a grand appearance. With a rich variety of businesses, flagship specifications, and first-store potential, this marks the prelude to the upgrade of this “Chinese commercial landmark.” High-potential outdoor brands from around the world are presented together, building a strong momentum for a “new outdoor flagship landmark.”
These brands include: SMFK’s first store in Shenzhen, AJ WOF’s first store in South China, Descente’s new “Tomorrow World” concept store, Shenzhen’s first Kolon Kraft store, MAMMUT’s first store in South China, Brompton’s direct-operated store in China, On Running’s Shenzhen Bay MixC store, HOKA’s first brand concept store in South China, and Honor’s global flagship store.
With the unveiling of these hoardings, the commercial tone and category layout of Shenzhen Bay MixC Phase II are beginning to take shape. It is understood that Phase II will intensify efforts in outdoor, beauty, dining, and fashion categories, perfecting its category matrix to meet more consumer shopping experience demands.
After the unveiling of Shenzhen Bay MixC Phase II, the integrated high fusion of commerce and culture from both phases is expected to create a global bay area commercial paradigm. Furthermore, with the project’s significant layout and investment in the cultural sector, it is set to help Shenzhen add a new “City of Culture” label, beyond its existing reputation as a city of technology, design, and fashion.