[First in SH] They're Flying to Shanghai to Queue for Pane, Songmont, Matcha Wang and Muva

First in Shanghai is our column documenting the rise of Shanghai's "debut economy," a model built on being first, fast and everywhere at once. What started as a policy initiative has morphed into a citywide phenomenon: part economic strategy, part cultural spectacle. In this series, we explore how brands – both local and global – are choosing Shanghai not just to launch products, but to create moments. It's retail as ritual, commerce as event, and we're here to unpack what it all means.

As inbound tourism continues to rebound and China's visa-free policies keep expanding, Shanghai has set its sights on becoming "the first stop for inbound travelers to China."

Pudong International Airport has handled over 15 million inbound and outbound passengers so far this year. Foreign travelers accounted for 5.15 million of the total, a 24 percent increase year-on-year.

South Korea ranked as the top source country with 350,000 travelers. Russia, Japan, Thailand, the United States, and Malaysia followed closely.

Visa-free policies and smarter customs procedures are cited as the main reason.

Amid this unprecedented wave of inbound tourism, what attracts foreign visitors is no longer limited to classic landmarks like the Bund or Yuyuan Garden. Shopping has become an essential part of the Shanghai itinerary – and increasingly, the city's booming first-store economy has emerged as a major draw.

Huaihai Road: Shanghai's Rising First-Store Destination

As Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, gains traction among international users, more foreigners are opening accounts on the social networking platform to ask for recommendations and travel advice, while visitors who have already been to Shanghai share their experiences on TikTok. This organic cycle of social media exposure has quietly helped Shanghai's first-store economy build a growing international fan base.

At the same time, Shanghai's commercial landscape is undergoing a subtle but profound reshuffle, with the Huaihai Road area firmly maintaining its status as one of the city's premier retail districts.

Major names, including the world's fifth Maison Hermès, Haus Nowhere, and Emis, have all chosen to land here. The opening of HAI550 marked the transformation of a historic building into a lifestyle-focused commercial space centered around sustainability, quickly turning it into one of the city's hottest new social media check-in spots for younger consumers.

Coincidentally, 2025 also marks the 125th anniversary of Huaihai Road. First stores spanning fashion, homeware, outdoor gear, fragrance, cafés, and lifestyle concepts have flourished along the avenue. Together, these first stores, debut exhibitions, and launch events reinforce Huaihai Road's unique position as both the "source of Shanghai fashion" and a global destination for new product debuts.

Perhaps the most noticeable change today is that as you walk down Huaihai Road, you constantly encounter foreign faces. Many of them have enthusiastically joined China's famous "queue culture".

At TX Huaihai, for example, international visitors make up a highly visible share of the crowd.

The Queue Culture Phenomenon and Pane's Global Appeal

Ask a foreign tourist visiting Shanghai today what local item they plan to bring home, and there's a good chance one brand will come up: Pane.

The Chinese streetwear footwear label, best known for its German trainer-inspired sneakers priced at around 700 to 800 yuan (US$103-118) a pair, first opened its flagship store on Yongyuan Road.

Its newer storefront at TX Huaihai has become synonymous with long lines, with foreigners often accounting for roughly half the queue.

Waiting times can stretch to 30 minutes during peak periods. Even if you happen to get in without lining up, you'll likely see visitors from around the world sitting around the store trying on shoes. The staff, mostly young sales associates, are able to assist customers comfortably in English.

According to reports by Shanghai-based media The Paper, foreign customers now account for around 30 percent of Pane's daily foot traffic and 35 percent of its sales revenue, with the proportion climbing even higher during holidays.

A reporter from China Youth Daily cited the store manager as saying that foreign shoppers now consistently make up 30 to 50 percent of customers. Many sneaker sizes are already sold out, and some overseas visitors even arrive in groups, purchasing more than five pairs at once. Online, Pane also appears frequently in viral posts promoting the trendy "ballet German trainers" aesthetic.

Pane's aesthetic is not defined by a strong "Chinese style" label. With its minimalist lines, restrained color palette, and seamless dialogue with the international market, it has become a piece of "Made in Shanghai" that global fashion lovers can appreciate without explanation.

Store staff revealed that most foreign customers come from Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia, with additional visitors from Europe and North America. Many discovered the brand through overseas influencers and social media creators, specifically adding Pane to their Shanghai travel itineraries.

Like Pane, many of these brands had already built overseas awareness before tourists ever walked into their stores, either through organic social media buzz or deliberate international marketing strategies.

Social Media-Driven Fashion and Lifestyle Brands

As another example, opposite Pane, the new Shanghai flagship store of Masonprince also attracts a noticeable number of foreign visitors.

It's common to see tourists walking down the street carrying their signature bright green shopping bags. Thanks to the brand's high visibility on social media, many international customers walk into the store already holding screenshots on their phones, asking for specific items – clearly having done their research before arriving.

The store itself presents a retro aesthetic, set within a silver-toned industrial space. Founded in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, the homegrown streetwear label is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. Its philosophy of "classless fashion," combined with a distinctive retro-futuristic style, has made Masonprince a brand that resists easy definition within the global streetwear landscape.

Also across the street from Pane, on the ground floor of HAI550, Matcha Wang has drawn huge crowds of foreign visitors, thanks to a viral TikTok meme known as the "Kill the Sheep Challenge" – a joke that becomes obvious once you see the drinks in person.

For Shanghai's matcha enthusiasts, Nintea Matcha is already a familiar name. Its premium tasting-focused concept, Matcha Wang, officially debuted on Huaihai Road M. at the end of 2025, specializing in professional-grade matcha powder paired with creative signature drinks.

Most importantly, its meticulously hand-drawn sheep-shaped milk foam art and layered flavors have turned it into one of Shanghai's hottest new tea spots. The signature Vanilla Bean Matcha Latte, topped with adorable sheep latte art drawn by staff on-site, has become a social media sensation – and a major reason many foreign visitors make the trip.

Many overseas tourists first discovered the store through TikTok. As customers sip the latte art, they inevitably swallow parts of the sheep-shaped foam, leading internet users to joke that drinking the matcha feels like "killing several sheep in one sip," hence the nickname "Kill the Sheep Challenge."

Also located inside TX Huaihai, Muva began expanding into Southeast Asia in 2023, opening three physical stores in locations, including Bangkok's Siam Paragon. Brand recognition gradually spread from Thailand into neighboring markets such as Indonesia, and today, some shoppers visit TX Huaihai specifically because of Muva.

The brand operates its own leather goods factory, allowing it to offer products at more accessible price points. Bag charms sell for under 100 yuan, while most handbags are priced between 300 and 500 yuan. Combined with themed retail interiors and colorful product displays, the shopping experience offers a strong sense of value for money.

This consumer frenzy is spreading across multiple brands, including the Oriental aesthetics-inspired handbag label Songmont.

The brand's Huaihai Road location was originally its first Shanghai store before later being upgraded into a flagship. Rather than completely rebuilding the space, the brand preserved the original store layout and displays while adding an extension equivalent to roughly half the original size, allowing old and new elements to coexist harmoniously.

Songmont now boasts 569,000 followers on Instagram – surpassing Korean designer brands such as Martin Kim and Low Classic, both highly popular among Chinese shoppers.

Starting in 2024, Songmont also held independent exhibitions during Paris Fashion Week for two consecutive years, becoming the first Chinese handbag brand to participate in the event through exhibition formats for two years, while simultaneously investing heavily in overseas social media marketing.

Once foreign tourists become familiar with these brands, buying them directly in China often feels like a bargain.

Pane sneakers retail domestically for around 800 to 1,000 yuan, while overseas prices on official websites exceed 1,200 yuan, with reseller or boutique prices sometimes surpassing 2,000 yuan. One American tourist also shared online that purchasing Songmont bags in China could save nearly US$200 compared with buying them in the United States.

For many foreign tourists, a shopping route stretching from Pane to Songmont, then on to Gentle Monster, H&M, and Uniqlo has effectively become the default Huaihai Road experience.

Experiential Retail and Immersive Flagship Spaces

Walking further down from TX Huaihai brings visitors to another landmark destination on the street: the Haus Nowhere complex created by Gentle Monster, which also serves as the brand's signature art-retail project in China.

The space immediately became a sensation within Shanghai's fashion and streetwear scene upon opening. There are no traditional counters or aggressive sales pitches. Instead, visitors are greeted by giant surrealist installations and multimedia light displays wrapped around the eyewear collections, making the store feel more like an immersive art exhibition than a retail environment.

The venue hosts long-term installations throughout the building.

Each floor revolves around a different artistic theme, while retail occupies only around 20 percent of the total area. The remaining space is dedicated entirely to immersive art experiences, making it one of China's most representative examples of the "art + retail" model. Foreign visitors are everywhere here as well.

Giant Mickey-themed race cars, moving facial installations with hyper-detailed skin textures, interactive mechanical sculptures, artistic wax figures, and large-scale installations can all be found inside. The venue operates daily from 10am to 10pm, requires no reservation, offers free admission, and encourages visitors to take photos and social media content. Guests can even try on Gentle Monster sunglasses for free while shooting pictures.

South Korean media outlet Longblack noted in a feature report: "People who have visited Shanghai say this is no longer the Shanghai of four or five years ago. Flagship stores like Gentle Monster and Supreme seem to be everywhere."

Huaihai Road's Expanding First-Store Economy Ecosystem

Throughout 2025, the Huaihai Road commercial district saw the continuous opening of major first stores and flagship concepts across the sportswear, streetwear, fashion, jewelry, and lifestyle sectors.

More than half were either global first stores or Asian first stores, including the global debut of New Balance's NB Grey R, the first Asian flagship for American streetwear label Staple, the first overseas flagship for Korean fashion retail giant MUSINSA standard, and the world's first flagship for Swedish outdoor label Haglöfs.

Notably, fast-fashion giant H&M also opened China's first House of H&M experiential retail space on Huaihai Road in 2025, marking a high-profile return to the Chinese market after a two-year absence.

Elsewhere, Xintiandi has also intensified its push within Shanghai's first-store economy.

Numerous high-profile first stores and flagship concepts have chosen to debut there, including the first China concept flagship for Aveda under the Estée Lauder Companies, as well as the first China flagship for French high-jewelry house Boucheron. These openings continue to reinforce Xintiandi's powerful appeal to international brands.

Meanwhile, year-round cultural and artistic programming – from the Music In The Summer Air (MISA) to the "Xintiandi Art To Gather," from the "Blooming Flowers" Xintiandi International flower exhibition to various themed markets – keeps the neighborhood vibrant throughout the year.

What Huaihai Road is forming today is a complete "first-store incubation chain" – from global debuts and Asian premieres to brand experience centers and community-driven retail spaces. Brands no longer come here simply to open stores; they come to create momentum.

This century-old commercial avenue has evolved far beyond a conventional shopping destination. It has become the first stop for brands entering the Chinese market, testing consumer response, and building cultural relevance and brand visibility within China's rapidly evolving debut economy.