In the DESCENTE concept store, the language of winter sports intersects with the poetic tradition of Jiangnan, shaping a space conceived through analogies, rhythms and layered references. The project translates the dynamic force of the ice & snow universe into a measured architectural narrative, where speed, landscape and local culture coexist in balance. The result is an environment that goes beyond product display, constructing a perceptual and cultural experience.
Located within in77, a high-end lifestyle complex in the centre of Hangzhou, the store represents the brand’s first three-level concept space. Designed by STILL YOUNG, the project adopts the local context as its conceptual matrix, transforming cultural heritage into a contemporary retail environment capable of establishing an emotional connection with visitors. Athletic movement is reinterpreted as a landscape image, while the brand narrative intertwines with that of the city.
Landscape and the urban threshold
The grey brick façade reinterprets the theme of raised eaves typical of Jiangnan architecture. Glazed and translucent tiles echo the rhythm of traditional rooftops; at the same time, they filter light and create a vibrant frontage animated by shifting reflections. The shop windows introduce an abstract vision of snow-covered mountains, establishing a silent dialogue with the landscape of West Lake. The façade thus becomes not merely an entrance, but a narrative threshold.
Inside, the space is organised around a palette dominated by white, conceived as an atmospheric material rather than a simple colour. Spatial perception recalls a glacial landscape, softened by material inserts and a carefully calibrated lighting strategy. The terrace beneath the eaves acts as a suspended zone: an urban refuge mediating between exterior and interior, between the rarefied imagery of snow and a more intimate, protected dimension.
Rhythm, movement and interior devices
The layout translates the dynamics of winter sports into spatial rhythm. Taut lines, angular geometries and articulated display systems define a sequence that alternates order and movement. Vertical installations inspired by ice pillars introduce sculptural accents that reinforce visual depth and convey the kinetic energy of athletic motion. Diffused, luminous lighting enhances the sensation of glacial brightness, guiding visitors along the path.
A key element of the project is the cultural wall in grey brick, which reinterprets Hangzhou’s imagery through stratified reliefs. Mountains, water, bridges and vegetation emerge as abstract traces. Here, the theme of sporting speed overlaps with the memory of place, creating continuity between nature, culture and technology.
The staircase becomes a central expressive device. Surfaces clad in modular tiles, defined with parametric precision, evoke ski slopes extending through space. Industrial order and formal fluidity coexist, while light emphasises rhythmic variations across the surfaces, projecting a future-oriented vision linked to the world of ice and snow.
Retail, social interaction and product care
The upper levels develop a hybrid experience where retail, social interaction and leisure intersect. The café and terrace expand the use of space, transforming the store into a place of permanence and relationship. Display surfaces inspired by glacial landscapes accompany the product narrative through linear sequences referencing water and Jiangnan mist, blending industrial precision with poetic sensitivity.
The third floor, characterised by a more open layout, adopts the suspended display system of DESCENTE BLANC, giving garments a dynamic, almost museum-like presence. Wooden structures inspired by local construction traditions introduce a warmer, more ceremonial dimension, mediating between technical rationality and cultural memory.
Completing the journey is the D-MOVER’S CARE CENTER, a space dedicated to cleaning and repair services. Here, the project concretely expresses the brand’s commitment to durability and sustainability, through a restrained environment defined by warm materials and an enveloping layout that softens the overall chromatic rigidity.
In this Hangzhou project, STILL YOUNG constructs a coherent dialogue between brand identity and urban context. The poetic sensibility of Jiangnan is translated into a contemporary spatial language capable of generating cultural resonance and emotional engagement. The result is a space that transcends its commercial function to become a narrative environment, where brand and city meet within a shared vision.
Location: in77, Hangzhou, China
Design: STILL YOUNG
Area: 1,111 sqm
Photo credit: Yuuuun Studio