Deep in Dept: High End Fashion at Chaowai Soho

Beijing is becoming ever more boutique. From hotels to cupcakes, it is the artisanal, the specialist and the bespoke that is becoming de rigueur among the CBD’s free-spending young urbanites. The Dept is aiming directly at that market.

For a similar concept, think London’s infamous Oki-Ni – all established brands and progressive designers, innovative products and comprehensive lifestyle solutions. The Dept’s manager, Paul Cheng, has a background in high-end fashion at outfits such as Lane Crawford in Hong Kong and his experience in window dressing informs the look of the shop. Faux-brick flooring gives the feel of a gentrified pedestrian shopping street while the polished-industrial racks and shelving hints more accurately at the stock’s nature. Paul has handpicked menswear and womenswear, all of which are either black or vivaciously colorful. The initial stock errs heavily on the side of black. Pieces from the unisex-inspired collection of Jordanian-Canadian Rad Hourani, the Silent by Damir Doma line and Japan’s leather-heavy Dressedundressed all feature heavily.

Aside from the high-concept clothing, there are also accessories (sunglasses by Germany’s Mykita and Italy’s RetroSuperFuture) and imported collaborative electronics – iPhones (circa RMB 10,000), MacBooks (circa RMB 30,000) and Dyson’s air multipliers with custom paint jobs.

And then there’s the wallpaper. You can clothe your walls with the latest from Dutch designers Piet Boon’s concrete or Piet Hein Eek’s scrapwood collections, starting at RMB 2,480 per roll. Keep an eye on The Dept.

Also try: Lane Crawford, Dong Liang Studio

The Dept Daily 11am-8pm. A-0120, Chaowai Soho, 6 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District (186 0119 1385) 朝阳区朝阳门外大街乙6号朝外Soho A-0120室

By subway: 1km west of Hujialou station (Line 10)

Click here to see the November issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo courtesy of The Dept