When winter sports meet the poetic landscapes of Jiangnan, the project unfolds a spatial narrative in which rhythmic aesthetics, athletic dynamism, and sculptural installations intertwine. The design weaves the dynamic strength of winter sports culture with the graceful charm of Hangzhou, unveiling a vision of a future ice-and-snow world crafted for DESCENTE.

Located in in77, Hangzhou, the project is DESCENTE’s first three-story urban concept store. Conceived by STILL YOUNG, the space draws on the cultural identity of Hangzhou, weaving together traditional heritage, contemporary lifestyle, and visions of the future. It fosters a profound emotional connection with consumers, transforming the speed of winter sports into the poetic imagery of lakes and mountains, evoking cultural resonance, and ushering visitors into an evolving journey of ice-and-snow civilization.

Poetic Jiangnan: Viewing Snow Under the Eaves

The design interprets Jiangnan’s mountain and water landscapes through a contemporary lens, distilling Hangzhou’s cultural motifs into a unique visual language. The gray-brick facade incorporates the upturned eaves of classical Jiangnan gardens, crafted from translucent glazed tiles that echo the rhythm of Hangzhou’s traditional sloping roofs. Along the windows, a poetic vision of undulating snowy mountains emerges, quietly resonating with the distant West Lake.

The translucent glazed tiles shimmer with shifting light, evoking the poetic aesthetics of Jiangnan. The unified, pure white palette immerses visitors in a realm of ice and snow. Beneath the eaves, the terrace emerges like a hidden retreat in a mountain valley—where snowy expanses soften into the gentle warmth of the interior, offering peaceful comfort in a quiet sanctuary.

Approaching the entrance, visitors pass through the layered-brick facade toward the storefront, where metallic textures and angular lines intertwine. The rhythmic geometry conveys a new order of the ice-and-snow world, drawing visitors into the interior realm.

Impressions of Hangzhou: Rhythm in Motion

The trajectory of winter sports is translated into a spatial rhythm. Dynamic lines—sometimes orderly, sometimes interwoven—compose the framework for product displays, creating a dialogue between Hangzhou’s vibrant urban life and the dynamic energy of winter sports.

Angular geometric forms enrich the visual depth, while the crystalline ice-pillar installations capture the dynamism of winter sports. Throughout the space, luminous white lighting mirrors glacial brilliance, diffusing radiant reflections that immerse visitors in a unique world of ice and snow.

Skiers sweep down the snowy peaks.
Cyclists trace the willow-lined banks.
Runners move through the morning haze.
Golfers swing beneath distant green hills.

A poetic cultural wall, layered with gray bricks, evokes the charm of Hangzhou by sketching the imagery of West Lake—mountains, waters, bridges, and trees rendered in undulating, textured relief. Across the wall, speed converges with culture, nature intertwines with technology. It subtly connects DESCENTE’s athletic spirit with everyday life in Hangzhou, deepening emotional resonance.

The spatial palette embodies a tech-infused, sports-inspired aesthetic, interwoven with the cultural heritage of Jiangnan architecture. Floor indicators are outlined in gray tiles, wrapped by exterior “snow tracks.” Through meticulous detailing, the velocity of winter sports converges with the city’s memory, unfolding a sensory journey that transcends time.

Walls at the stairwell become a rhythmic art installation. Layered tiles emerge under parametric precision, extending like ski trails across the space. Here, order intertwines with speed; industrial rigor encounters the fluidity of winter sports. Light filters across the feature walls, illuminating the vision of a future ice-and-snow world.

The tiles’ geometric flips and undulating rhythms evoke the dynamic aesthetics of skiing, giving tangible form to the brand’s winter-sports DNA. Cool textures intertwine with rhythmic compositions, unveiling a realm where technology and nature converge in harmony.

Vision of Ice and Snow: A Sensory Resonance

Infused with the poetic charm of Jiangnan landscapes, the design thoughtfully orchestrates the spatial mood across each floor, curating DESCENTE’s premium retail experience. The second and third floors emphasize a hybrid environment of sports, socializing, and leisure. Through immersive settings and digital interaction, the café and terrace extend the experience into a multifaceted urban lifestyle.

Glacial surfaces become the backdrop of product displays, with sequential lines flowing like the misty ripples of Jiangnan waters, weaving a narrative of speed, civilization, and poetry. Through the precision of industrial craftsmanship, the design immerses visitors in the atmosphere of winter sports—to feel the grandeur of mountains, the chill of snowfields, and the gentle charm of Jiangnan.

Light pierces the interior facades like a ski slicing through a mountainside. Metallic, futuristic elements, together with crafted details such as golf club heads, shape a fashion arena of freedom, openness, and infinite possibility. As customers move through, they experience a multidimensional realm where past, present, and future intertwine.

The street-facing terrace blends tactile warmth with pure snow-white tones, becoming a poetic retreat where nature and culture converge. The undulating eaves ripple like the waves of West Lake, embodying both the dynamism of winter sports and the graceful charm of Hangzhou.

Continuing the poetic aesthetic, a warm wood-tone staircase, set against a backdrop of golden layered tiles, guides visitors to the third floor, evoking Jiangnan’s poetic elegance. The circulation twists and turns, as if toward a wooden shelter in the snowy mountains, shifting the spatial mood and inviting a pause in the journey of exploration.

The third floor continues DESCENTE BLANC’s iconic hanging display system, giving the garments a dynamic sense of motion. The open, expansive space immerses visitors in a gallery-style atmosphere, where freedom and interactivity unfold naturally.

Timber structures draw on traditional architectural wisdom, weaving rationality with warmth to form a ceremonial passage that traverses nature and culture. Dynamic lines, charged with the energy of ice and snow, animate the space with rhythm and cadence, revealing a dialogue between technology and nature.

The D-MOVER’S CARE CENTER, an area that offers professional cleaning and repair services, extends DESCENTE’s sustainability ethos across the full product lifecycle. Warm timber textures, composed in an enclosing layout, soften the gray-toned space to deliver a serene and reassuring service experience.

With clear zoning and an orderly rhythm of circulation, the space engages both practical functions and emotional resonance. It becomes a vessel for brand storytelling, while offering a nuanced interpretation of Hangzhou’s cultural heritage—establishing deep emotional connections between DESCENTE, the city, and consumers.

In this project, STILL YOUNG responds to the brand’s ethos by weaving its DNA with Hangzhou’s cultural context. Jiangnan’s poetic sensibility is translated into localized visual and spatial narratives, fostering cultural resonance, lifestyle affinity, and spiritual connection. The store will continuously enrich the dialogue between the brand and city, unveiling a future world of ice and snow for DESCENTE.

Project information
Project name: DESCENTE Concept Store (in77, Hangzhou)
Area: 1,111㎡
Completion: July 2025
Design team: DESCENTE & STILL YOUNG
Instagram: stillyoung369
Text: You Yan
Photography: Yuuuun Studio

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DESCENTE Concept Store (in77, Hangzhou)

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Other Projects by STILL YOUNG

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DESCENTE Flagship Store (Harbour City, Hong Kong)

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TANBOER Outdoor Experience Concept Store 6.0

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DESCENTE Concept Store (in77, Hangzhou)

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Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team