Topman Opens First Retail Shop in China at Galleries Lafayette

Topman, the British fashion authority known for their suits, skinny jeans, and colorful print shirts for men has finally arrived at Beijing’s Galleries Lafayette in Xidan, the same mall that houses Topshop (the ladies branch), which first opened their fully-branded retail outlet last July.

For the uninitiated, Topshop was founded in London in 1964 and has become a major British style authority and one of fashion industry's biggest success stories. They have quickly expanded from the Topshop flagship store at London Oxford Circus that attracts over 200,000 shoppers each week, to shops all across Europe and North America over the past decade.

We visited their new Beijing location, the chain's first retail shop in China, just a couple days after their grand opening. While the store was likely still recovering from a busy opening weekend (we could tell from the popped balloons that littered the changing rooms), they still had a great variety of clothes available, though mainly catered towards those with skinny or a more generally Asian build.

Like the rest of the branded outlets at Galleries Lafayette, the store was pretty small, but every corner was packed with merchandise. They even have a small screen printing stand set up at the entrance with a handsome fella printing out some smartly designed tees (this is probably for a limited time only). The prices are more or less the same, as you might find at home. We bought a pair of cactus-themed socks for RMB 29, and a pair of jeans for RMB 329. Not bad as it’s lately become more and more difficult to find lightly distressed jeans that not only fit right but also aren’t littered with strategically placed holes. Collared shirts will set you back RMB 399, and as it’s also the season for swimming, they have a bunch of swim trunks in a variety of colors for RMB 329.

We came to the conclusion that If you’re dead set on looking the part of a house or techno DJ from just about anywhere in the EU, then this is your store. If this isn’t what you are looking for, then you can at least find some trendy basics for a decent price to mix and match with whatever classic items you may possess in your wardrobe.

Topman
Daily 10am-10pm. 2/F, Galeries Lafayette, 110 Xidan Beidajie Xicheng District
西城区西单北大街110号老佛爷百货2层

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Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com

Photos: Kipp Whittaker