A new cultural landmark has emerged at No 135 Wukang Road in Shanghai's Xuhui district — where the French-founded New York fragrance brand Le Labo and the local Chinese artisanal label Gathering have launched a unique concept store.

Nestled in a gray-and-white heritage villa, the space blends the poetic aesthetics of Chinese craftsmanship with the fine elegance of Le Labo's signature scents.

"We want young people to feel that traditional Chinese culture can be fashionable too — something that can hold an equal dialogue with the world's top brands," said Su Liang, the founder of Gathering.

Su first opened a clothing store on the same street in 1999 and has witnessed the neighborhood evolve over two decades.

Encouraged by his family to pursue more spiritually fulfilling projects beyond business success, Su gradually transformed the space.

What began as a coffee shop next door eventually evolved into a handmade lifestyle store filled with Jingdezhen ceramics, calligraphy, vintage Chinese furniture and works by independent designers. They   all reflected a quiet, Chan-inspired — Chinese Buddhism focused on meditation — aesthetic.

Le Labo, known for its hand-blended perfumes and wabi-sabi-influenced designs, found unexpected synergy with Gathering.

Wabi-sabi is a traditional Japanese aesthetic and worldview that finds beauty in imperfection, impermanence and simplicity.

After several visits to the store, Le Labo's leadership became captivated by its atmosphere and decided to open a new store within the cultural space rather than in a conventional retail location.

The 50-square-meter concept features a perfume blending room and a porcelain gallery side by side. This offers a rare experience where scent and ceramics coexist — what they call "perfume and porcelain sharing a cabinet".

One wall is adorned with a traditional calligraphy piece reading "Shi Yi" — or "at ease" in English — created by Pan Huaxin, a consultant on Chinese culture for Gathering.

The phrase, rooted in the Shanghainese expression for comfort and contentment, subtly anchors the global brand in its local context.

Since its opening, the store has seen some remarkable success, with over 2,000 daily visitors on average in its first month. On weekends, the flow of people even surpassed Le Labo's first store in the Chinese mainland, located in the trendy Xintiandi area.

Source: Official WeChat account of Shanghai Xuhui Media Center