AVENUE & SON Flagship Store / Various Associates

Architects: Various Associates
Area: 421 m²
Year: 2021
Construction: Shanghai Yubin Construction Engineering Co. Ltd.
Lead Designers: Dongzi Yang, Qianyi Lin
Design Team: Zebing Li, Yongliang Huang, Milly Qiu
Content Team: Xiaoxiao, Donis, Taye, Wayne
Video: Lulu from A&S
Client: AVENUE & SON
Skaters: Haonan Hu, Guohua Wang, PIKAI, Jeremy Hu, Xiao Yu, Wenkai Xie, Li Zu
Photographs: SFAP, SHAWN from A&S
City: Shanghai
Country: China

AVENUE & SON Flagship Store, designed by Various Associates in Taikoo Li Qiantan, Shanghai, brings skateboarding culture into a commercial setting while maintaining its street roots. Founded in 2014 by four professional skaters, the brand has become a global presence with millions of followers. The project features the first marble skate park in the world, combining retail, public space, and cultural activity. Straight and oblique geometries reinterpret everyday street elements, embedding skateboarding into the architecture of Shanghai’s new commercial district.

Balancing creativity and commercial demands is incredibly challenging. To become a creative yet commercially viable design firm, you must persevere, consistently maintain professionalism, and nurture your passion for design.
Interview with Qianyi Lin and Dongzi Yang of Various Associates

Avenue & son flagship store / various associates

AVENUE & SON was established in Shanghai in 2014 by four professional skaters. Its guiding principle, expressed as “from street to avenue,” reflects freedom and individuality rooted in street culture. Over time, the brand has become an international name with millions of fans and sponsorships for over 20 professional skaters. It conveys values of perseverance, fearlessness, and independence. The opening of its first flagship store and street-structure skate park in Taikoo Li Qiantan has given these ideas a permanent form.

Qiantan was developed by Lujiazui Group as a model urban district where fashion, lifestyle, art, and sports are integrated. At its core, Taikoo Li Qiantan follows the theme of wellness, blending luxury brands with new cultural expressions. The AVENUE & SON flagship, designed by Various Associates, is located in WOODHOUSE and connects directly to a marble skate park. Together, they form a new landmark in relation to the nearby Oriental Sports Center.

The architects aimed to challenge the perception that street culture is less valuable. Since skateboarding became an Olympic sport in 2020, it has gained global recognition. To reflect this shift, Various Associates designed the world’s first marble skate park. The material transforms skateboarding into a cultural and architectural statement, merging grassroots energy with mainstream presence. It demonstrates how commercial settings can embrace activities once considered marginal.

The park was designed as both a gathering point and a flexible venue. It supports skateboarding, leisure, and cultural activities while merging indoor and outdoor use. A marble kiosk outdoors functions as a café, its surface inlaid with a bronze logo crafted using traditional methods. Street lamps mark the park at night, recalling urban origins and linking back to the brand’s DNA.

Since 2016, AVENUE & SON has expanded skateboarding culture in China through pop-up stores and public activities. In the years since, it has drawn attention from skaters, artists, and musicians, while collaborating with international brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fred, Off-White™, and Palace. These interactions have positioned it as a cultural representative as well as a commercial brand. The Qiantan flagship extends this role on a larger stage.

The design language originates in the street itself, which the founders described as the best skate park. The architects observed that steps, fences, and small ramps were the structures most used by skaters. This led them to avoid the curved slopes common in skate parks and instead adopt straight and oblique lines that interpret everyday urban terrain while improving safety.

At the entrance, a folding metal door imprinted with the brand’s logo recalls Shanghai’s older streets. Its delicate construction contrasts with the surrounding modern commercial buildings. Two staircases and a central slope recreate familiar street conditions while also providing customers with varied viewpoints of the displays inside. These elements balance architectural memory with practical use.

Inside, the design continues to merge urban forms with brand identity. Ramps and staircases allow movement between the interior and exterior. Curved handrails, symmetrical slopes, and ceiling tracks resembling road markings reinforce the street concept. The stairs carry the brand’s name, birthplace, and founding year, recalling how names are marked on actual city streets.

The main interior organization revolves around a large video screen, which displays skateboarding content while concealing storerooms, fitting rooms, and waiting areas. Behind it, displays follow a circular route to maximize visibility of shoes, hats, clothes, and skateboards. The screen’s steel frame references the “A” in the brand’s name and functions as seating as well as a temporary display. This dual purpose integrates symbolic and practical roles.

A central ramp doubles as a stage for products, collaborative pop-ups, and graphic interventions. Its angular surfaces and mirrored panels create shifting visual effects, multiplying perspectives across the space. Opening hidden doors reveals mirrored interiors, extending the sense of depth and adaptability. This flexibility allows the flagship to host both commercial activity and cultural exchange, strengthening AVENUE & SON’s presence in Shanghai.

The project establishes skateboarding as part of urban architecture while energizing the commercial complex. By day and night, the park and store provide a shared platform for skating, shopping, and social activity. The flagship confirms AVENUE & SON’s position as a leader in Chinese skateboarding culture while embedding its values of individuality and freedom into the architectural landscape of the city.