Shanghai Mart will soon open an International Fashion Exchange (IFEX) to serve as a showroom and trade platform for overseas fashion brands catering to local enthusiasts. The first phase is expected to showcase more than 40 overseas brands in a total space exceeding 2,000 sq m.
Last but not least, Shanghai Mart plays host to a number of designers' studios, some of which double as retail outlets. As fewer people know about the place (many see it, mistakenly, as a trade-fair venue), you also get to enjoy thinner crowds and a much more pleasurable shopping environment.
Spending half a day here all but guarantees two things: you will avoid the crowd, and stand out from it, too.
ID
Add: 3F, 2299, Yan'an Road W., Shanghai Mart
Tel: 6236-1880
To unearth more of the city's hidden shopping gems, check out:
Tian Zi Fang
Add: Taikang Road area (near Ruijin Road) has lots of small designer stores such as INSH and Lavie; Changle Road (between Shaanxi Road and Chengdu Road) features boutiques for imported clothes.
Loft: a number of high street fashion stores.
Add: 283 Jianguo Road W.