SHANGHAI — Inside the airy establishment, B1ock runs a tight edit manned by around 30 sales associates. Its window display and gallery shows are updated on a monthly basis.
If Alibaba put Hangzhou on the map as China‘s e-commerce capital, JNBY helped establish it as an emerging fashion powerhouse.
The Hong Kong-listed retailer, which operates more than 2,000 stores throughout China, has become synonymous with a distinctly Hangzhou vision of fashion and culture, one that has come to define its multibrand retail operation B1ock.
Launched six years ago within JNBY’s concrete superblock Oōeli, B1ock spans almost 65,000 square feet across 10 stories, bringing over 300 fashion, jewelry and lifestyle brands under one roof — the retail space also doubles as a showcase for JNBY cofounder Li Lin’s contemporary art collection.
With a merchandising system designed by the American artist Theaster Gates, a small gallery tucked in its basement, and a private lounge fully occupied by The Row, B1ock has become an unexpected influential force in a market undergoing a seismic shift as consumers rethink the meaning of luxury.
