What: SKP's founder Ji Xiao'an draws on his love of literature, fine art and opera to shape the luxury department store's design, programming and community, according to a panel of its architect and cultural partners.

Why it is important: As the group expands from Beijing to Wuhan and Guangzhou, a coherent design language and cultural programming give SKP a consistent identity across very different sites.

At a talk moderated by Kering's president of Greater China, Cai Jinqing, three speakers discussed how art, opera and fashion shape SKP: Sybarite cofounder Torquil McIntosh, iSing! Festival founder Tian Hao Jiang, and Wu Hongliang, president of Beijing Fine Art Academy and chief curator of Wuhan Biennale 2026.

Sybarite began working with SKP in 2012 on its logo, then extended that visual language across retail surfaces, interiors and architecture. McIntosh described the founder's original vision as transforming a mall into departments where brands sit comfortably. Each city has posed a different challenge, from an underground space in Chengdu to an existing building in Wuhan.

Tian's connection began when his autobiography, recounting his career at New York's Metropolitan Opera, led him to SKP Rendez-Vous, its in-house bookstore, and then to Ji himself. Their friendship brought the iSing! festival, which has recruited more than 400 young artists from over 38 countries in 15 years, to Wuhan. Tian argued that opera, like fashion, is about human stories.

Wu said the Biennale chose "walk and talk" as its slogan to bring art closer to the local community through chance encounters, inside the museum and beyond.

IADS Notes: SKP's developer-managed, experience-driven model is also delivering commercially: group turnover rose 15% in 2025, with SKP Beijing returning to growth and Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu opening mega-flagships at SKP Wuhan (WWD, February 2026). Wuhan keeps attracting first-time entrants, with Chanel choosing SKP's K Avenue promenade for its first store in the city (WWD, October 2026). Sybarite is designing the group's next project, a mixed-use complex in Guangzhou's Tianhe District that combines retail with residential, office and cultural spaces (WWD, March 2026). The architecture firm's own research argues that leading luxury retailers stay competitive through adaptability and immersive, personalised experiences (Sybarite, November 2025). In Europe, Le Bon Marché and Galeries Lafayette are pursuing a comparable cultural strategy, using artist collaborations and partnerships with institutions such as the Centre Pompidou-Metz to turn their stores into cultural destinations (Le Figaro, March 2026).

How art, opera and fashion shape SKP