MOMO ERA store by Atelier d’More

Founded only in 2019, MOMO ERA started out a fast-fashion brand which quickly gained traction on China‘s popular Kuaishou video platform, and since then, the brand has evolved, positioning itself more premium, while also crossing over to the brick-and-mortar domain. The clothing brand has recently inaugurated its second retail space in Shanghai, situated in Qianjiatan, an emerging neighbourhood in the city’s booming Pudong district. The MOMO ERA store, its second in the city, occupies a 300 sqm. (3,229 sq.ft.) ground floor unit of an existing glass-box building which has seen a complete transformation. The interior design, created by Atelier d’More, an architecture practice based in Shanghai, is inspired by the neighbourhood’s modern architecture and affluent demographic. As such, the setting aims to replicate the area’s urban dynamic, while also creating a distinct narrative of its own.

The MOMO ERA store features a series of welcoming nooks where shoppers can immerse themselves, disconnect from the hustle and bustle outside, and fully focus on the alluring merchandise on offer. The façade has also been completely altered, and now features a monumental canopy, while the the boundary between indoors and outdoors has been blurred by continuing the outside plaza’s paving tiles indoors. Additionally, a curved glass surface recesses inward at the entrance, connecting on one end to the original spatial boundary and on the other to a new volumetric element, creating an unusual spatial experience for both passers-by and shoppers when navigating the retail space. Five interconnected volumes, which house fitting rooms and storage, emerge from the site’s existing structural columns and pipelines. Each volume tapers inward near the top to draw in more natural light, evoking traditional cuán dǐng pavilion roofs, but also features a variation of load-bearing points, adding to the spatial marvel.

Additionally, light wells have been created in the façade, adding to the intentional and wondrous spatial disarray. The expansive MOMO ERA retail space features distinct sections—three thematic display zones, nine fitting rooms, and a radial checkout area, all linked by a fitting room-mirror-lounge-checkout circuit and limestone flooring. Each section has its own scale, enclosure, and light quality, transforming a linear shopping route into a meandering loop that incites exploration. To balance the sharp, angular visual impression of the cuán dǐng pavilion-inspired roofs, the contours of the light membrane has been shaped into soft, flowing forms that extend along the length of the space, creating an ethereal, weightless effect. Shelving units hold shoes, bags, eyewear, and other accessories, but with staggered arrangements, while freestanding display shelves dot the premises, adding even more visual dynamic to the presentation of the merchandise.© superfuture