New York online brand opens brick-and-mortar store in Beijing

Models showcase S&S designs in the opening ceremony of the store in Beijing. [Photo by Chen Yingqun/chinadaily.com.cn]

While most clothes brands are busy building online stores, the New York fashion brand Sophie&Stephie opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Beijing on Tuesday.

And by the end of this year, it is expected that about 50 stores will be built across China.

S&S, a sub-brand of the Chinese luxury e-commerce platform 5LUX.com, was established about three years ago and has signed with many New York designers. Its strong style has been favored by many film stars and TV anchors in China.

Sun Feiya, founder of S&S, said that at present China’s clothes industry is facing huge changes. Many brick-and-mortar stores have been closed down due to the challenges brought by the online stores. However, the golden age of online stores is also gone, as they lack credibility to some extent.

"So online-to-offline will be the new mode of development, as it combines the advantages of brick-and-mortar stores, where consumers could try on the clothes and experience its space, and online stores, where consumers could have clothes bought and delivered to home," she said.

In S&S stores, there will be a space where consumers could experience VR equipment, and do other stuff. Free drinks and cookies will be served, and consultants will be there to help consumers with tips of makeup and choosing right clothes, she added.