10 Corso Como has picked Shanghai as its first Chinese location.

The Italian retailer has debuted in the world’s second largest economy by opening a 2500 sqm on Nanjing West Rd.

The four storey glass building designed by world-renowned painter, sculptor and concept artist Kris Ruhs features a gallery, a bookshop, a restaurant, a café patisserie, and an ongoing series of personally curated presentations of design, fashion and art.

The new store is next door to the Wheelock building, Shanghai’s fourth tallest building, and a short walk from the Jing’an Temple complex, which is dedicated to the Buddha of Peace and Serenity, and home to the paintings and calligraphy of Yangzhou’s Eight Eccentric Painters.

“Shanghai’s vibrant art and fashion scene is an ideal location for our store. I love the proximity to Jing’an temple and the park. It is a nice balance of modernity and tradition,” says 10 Corso Como founder Carla Sozzani.

The Chinese operation is a partnership with Guangzhou-based Trendy International Group, which is reputed as designer, distributor and retailer of China’s women’s fashion lines Ochirly and Five Plus, as well as the men’s fashion brand Trendiano and children’s brand Love Ysabel.

Sozzani founded the 10 Corso Como in 1990 in Milan to promote the philosophy of ‘slow shopping’. It is a lifestyle destination which presents a blend of art, music, fashion, design, cuisine and culture. In Asia, the brand is also present in Japan through collaboration with Comme des Garçons and South Korea through Samsung Group.