Shanghai International Fashion Center

Shanghai International Fashion Center

The Shanghai International Fashion Center is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Asia’s largest fashion center — the Shanghai International Fashion Center is located at No. 2866 Yangshupu Road. It is a redevelopment project of the former No. 17 Cotton Mill, covering an area of 120,800 square meters with a construction area of approximately 130,000 square meters. The first phase of the project was completed by the end of 2010; the second phase was completed in 2011; the overall project was planned to be completed in 2013.

Here, it is not only positioned as a hub centered around fashion, integrating creativity, culture, and modern service industries. It spans international luxury brands and various leisure and entertainment sectors, guiding fashion trends, and using architectural forms and cultural environments to promote cultural exchange. The goal is to build the platform into the largest fashion creative park in the Far East, featuring the richest fashion elements and a textile concept. It will also become another fashion landmark on Yangpu District’s Eastern Bund, complementing the North Bund in Hongkou District, showcasing vibrancy and brilliance.

The original site of the Shanghai No. 17 Cotton Mill is located between Yangshupu Road and the Huangpu River in the Eastern Bund area of Yangpu District. To the east lies the only enclosed inland island in the Huangpu River — Fuxing Island; to the west is Shanghai’s earliest power plant — the Yangpu Power Plant; to the south is the mother river of Shanghai — the Huangpu River; and to the north is the former site of the Bee Sweater Factory. It enjoys uniquely superior geographical advantages. The factory rooftops feature neat zigzag designs, conveying a distinctive architectural form.

The “Shanghai International Fashion Center” project was concept-designed by the French architecture firm Jean-Marie Charpentier, which also designed the Shanghai Grand Theatre. This project is an initiative by Shanghai Textile Holdings Group Co., Ltd., guided by the development philosophy of “technology and fashion.” It actively responds to the Shanghai Municipal Government’s call to vigorously develop modern service industries and aligns with the requirements of the World Expo. In line with the municipal government’s goal of establishing Shanghai as the “sixth global fashion capital” following the world’s five major “international fashion cities” — New York (USA), London (UK), Paris (France), Milan (Italy), and Tokyo (Japan)…

…the decision was made, after consultations with experts and market research, to repurpose the former No. 17 Cotton Mill site into a landmark hub and operational base for interaction with the international fashion industry.

The center’s exterior features unpainted red bricks, preserving the historical traces of Shanghai’s industrial heritage from the 1920s while incorporating contemporary fashion design elements. Once completed, the “Shanghai International Fashion Center” will house six major functional zones: a multifunctional fashion runway, a fashion reception club, fashion creative offices, a fashion boutique warehouse, a fashion apartment hotel, and fashion dining and entertainment venues.

Among them, the 1,500-square-meter multifunctional runway can accommodate 800 spectators for fashion shows, and the backstage area can host up to 300 models and staff for makeup and waiting — the largest of its kind in Asia. It is the most fully equipped and comprehensive professional runway facility in Shanghai and even across China, as well as the preferred venue for world top-tier brands to launch their collections. It serves as the main venue for the Shanghai International Fashion Culture Festival and the Shanghai Fashion Week. Representative institutions from the world’s five “fashion capitals” will establish a presence here. The Shanghai International Fashion Center has gradually become a new destination for people to engage with, understand, feel, and experience fashion.