Santa Maria Novella, the legacy perfumer from Florence, officially launched its first directly-operated boutique in China at Shanghai’s Plaza 66 on Friday.
The store, which brings the classic characters of the ancient Italian city to Shanghai, features arches, walnut woodwork, textured flooring and deep green velvet tones that encourage moments of meditative discovery.
Aglow in natural lighting, the store’s restrained yet exacting order draws inspiration from Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella’s historic flagship in Florence, located within a 13th-century chapel.
Displayed within the store’s cabinetry — which evokes the brand’s monastery infirmary legacy — is the brand’s full range of products, including perfumes, colognes, potpourri, lotions, scented paper and more.
A long table sits at the center, displaying more fragrances, its scented terra-cotta pomegranate, and ceramic vessels that invite visitors to get a closer look, touch and smell.
While e-commerce remains a significant growth driver in China, the physical store animates a wider selection and cultivates a heightened sense of cultural dialogue between Italian and Chinese botanical histories, a brand spokesperson noted at the opening.
The legacy perfumer’s first directly operated China store coincides with the soft launch of Plaza 66’s Pavilion Extension, a three-story stand-alone structure with a garden view.
The expanded project will center around lifestyle experiences and Michelin-star restaurants. Its basement floor, which counts Santa Maria Novella, Wooyoungmi, John Lobb and Dunhill among its key tenants, helps the retailer home in on the “old money” narrative, which remains aspirational among China’s middle-class shoppers.
Santa Maria Novella first entered the Chinese market in 2021 via a partnership with the Hong Kong-based Eternal Beauty.
