Aside from creative aesthetics, and serving up a feast for the eyes, the essence of design is to solve problems. When it comes to the world of retail, a well-designed store needs to achieve a balance between functionality, brand image and promotion. It should maximize the space’s functional side while also developing recognition of the brand’s story and spirit at the same time.

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Lululemon — the famous Canadian yoga, fitness, fashion and lifestyle brand — has now opened its first Beijing retail store, choosing to do so in Sanlitun, the city’s shopping and entertainment hub. Thanks to Mi2’s completely fresh approach to retail space design, the values of natural health that Lululemon wants to promote, plus its people-oriented spirit of fitness, stand out for all to see in one of Beijing’s busiest and buzziest areas.

Mi2’s completed projects for Lululemon include its community store on Duxton Road in Singapore, retail store in Hong Kong and its offices in Hong Kong. This Mi2-designed retail space continues the previous blending of design styles – voicing the brand’s background in Western culture, while also absorbing the store location’s unique cultural atmosphere at the same time.

Located in Beijing’s trendiest district, the exterior design of Lululemon’s retail store constantly radiates youthful energy thanks to the use of undulating wooden screens. In this city’s elegant centre of avant-garde style, these wooden elements create a unique exterior, while also aligning with nature and extending the overall sense of visual dynamism.

The origins of the Lululemon brand and spirit strongly inspired the subsequent choice of materials. Canadian oak and walnut wood have been used widely, from the striking door frame to the indoor display of wooden chairs, shelves and checkout desk. Wooden elements are, quite simply, everywhere.

The use of such material allows the preservation of original textures, with the grain of the wood clearly visible, and walls not overly sanded. Every detail is, as far as possible, presented in its most natural state.

Contrasting design techniques, such as black and grey embellishments, not to mention metal and glass details, add richness to the predominantly heavy and regular wood shades, thereby creating a far more lively style.

As well as the retail side of things, Lululemon’s Sanlitun store is also a community space for yoga culture and lifestyle, emphasising the need for mutual communication and social activity, thereby making open space even more vital. Mi2 addresses the space’s need to fulfill multiple functions by increasing the flexibility of the objects within. The space is composed of many elements, display cases, and shelves, which can all be easily moved, so as to make quick changes of space and function as convenient as possible.

Mi2’s design naturally integrates, rather than bluntly grafts, the brand’s story and regional culture into the details. Apart from Canadian wood and Western minimalism, hand-painted and coloured dragon patterns cleverly adorn the walls, and unique Eastern charm meanders through.

In the high-end district of Sanlitun, Lululemon’s store design easily distinguishes itself from the other top brands surrounding it — just like its promotion of yoga fitness and philosophy, naturalness and effortlessness. By returning to authenticity, it creates a brand loved by many.