Bosideng opens its latest flagship in Sanlitun, Beijing’s fashion center, anchoring the store around the theme Explore the Limits, Reach the Pinnacle. Designed by 39 Thirty Nine, the project builds a layered retail experience structured around four spatial narratives. The design draws from natural extremes, Chinese symbolism, and advanced technology to tell the story of a brand that continues to evolve after nearly five decades in the market.
Sculpting the Exterior
The store’s glass facade stretches wide across the street, cut through with thin metal lines and a gradient cloud treatment that evokes a frozen sky. Inside, the design simulates alpine terrain with textured surfaces that resemble snow and rock. The entryway presents an inverted Mount Everest sculpture reflected in a mirror, creating both disorientation and curiosity.
A circular structure near the entrance carries the coordinates of Everest alongside Bosideng milestones, grounding the store’s concept in physical location and brand progression. Just beyond that, the traditional Chinese “loong”, rendered in jade and brought to life using relief techniques, anchors the store’s visual identity with symbolic weight.
Referencing Nature Through Material
The design draws directly from polar geography. Along the walls and displays, motifs from Mount Everest and the Arctic zones appear in gradients and textures. Lighting effects mimic the blue fractures of ice, while sculptural details suggest the strength and danger of glacial terrain. Bosideng uses this reference to connect with its technical performance collections, including a display dedicated to the Dengfeng Collection, where topographic forms and material textures communicate function through design.
Moving into the Aurora
Visitors transition from grounded textures to upper-floor lightness through a staircase installation that leads to the second level. A projection ceiling simulates the Aurora Borealis, creating a soft movement of light above. This area signals a shift from the natural to the futuristic, using projection walls, snow effects, surround sound, and reactive lighting to fully immerse visitors in a high-tech interpretation of polar exploration.
Bosideng presents this space as both experiential and forward-facing, showing how the brand connects natural inspiration with innovation. Here, sound and image replace material texture, creating a contrast to the stone and ice of the ground floor.
Engineering Movement
In the center of the second floor, a mechanical walkway installation adds motion to the store’s design system. A network of conveyor belts and sensors responds to visitor movement, guiding them through an Antarctic-inspired setting. The speed and rhythm shift dynamically, forming a bridge between engineering and narrative. This kinetic feature also represents Bosideng’s focus on sustainability, using technology to propose responsible design within an immersive context.
The hexagonal glass bridge borrows from the green tiles of Beijing’s Yonghe Temple, linking geometric symbolism with cultural reference. Etched patterns evoke scales and armor, tying back to the loong while introducing a visual continuity that spans both floors.
Presenting Product in Motion
Throughout the store, Bosideng maintains flexibility. Display islands vary in height, allowing products to be observed from multiple angles. Adjustable hanging rails float in space, supporting visual clarity. The brand integrates feather and down-filling elements into the displays themselves, drawing attention to its technical foundations.
Bosideng connects its identity to a wider cultural and environmental context. Rather than isolate products, the store folds them into an environment where design supports meaning. From the deep red of the loong to the icy blue of the second floor, every material and color serves a purpose.
Project name: Bosideng Flagship Store (Sanlitun, Beijing, China)
Area: 606 m²
Completion time: November 2024
Photography: SFAP
Design firm: 39 Thirty Nine
