World Top Shirt Store Settled in Shanghai

Annefontaine, the world’s top white shirt brand known as “White Shirt Queen”, recently locked her eyes on Shanghai Xintiandi and opened China’s first boutique as a first step to test China. The store was also one of the earliest foreign-funded wholly-owned stores that was opened in Shanghai after China's full liberalization of the retail industry at the end of last year.

The branch located in the street frontage of Xintiandi is the first step for Annefontaine to test the water in China. In addition to a few pink and black dresses, all of the 120 square meters of storefronts are all women's white shirts. "I want to let Chinese ladies know that shirts can also be worn on banquets and even weddings," said Annefontaine.

According to the manager of the store, Natalie, all the clothes in this Chinese store were shipped directly from France after production. The cheapest shirt is 1650 yuan, and the most expensive one will reach 10,000 yuan. Coming from France next month. All of the clothes here are designed by Annefontaine personally. Each season, more than 100 new models will be added. Each model will be within 300 to 500 sets.

Annefontaine was founded in France ten years ago and has always used women's white shirts as its only product. Currently, it has more than 70 stores in world-class metropolises such as Paris and New York, and has won the favor of many stars and the European royal family. However, she has never seen her in China, including Hong Kong. Annefontaine and her husband were attracted to the city's energy and fashion when they first came to Shanghai a year ago. They also loved the place of Xintiandi, which is both Chinese and modern.

Moreover, the store was also one of the earliest chain stores in China to open a wholly foreign-owned company in Shanghai after the retail industry opened completely on December 11, 2004. Annefontaine said that in November last year they submitted an application for the establishment of a wholly-owned shop to the Shanghai government and signed a four-year lease with Xintiandi. “Entering Shanghai is the first step of our China strategy. It is estimated that we will open a second store in China within two years.”

However, this internationally renowned shirt brand also encountered some embarrassment when it entered Shanghai. Two weeks ago the store quietly opened in Xintiandi, but its customers are concentrated in foreign tourists and foreigners in Shanghai. “Customers in Shanghai saw that we were very novel. People often came in and said afterwards how there would be a shop selling only shirts.” said the shop manager Natalie.