From April 13 to May 11, 2025, CELINE invites you to step into a Mediterranean dream with its newest slow pop-up store in the heart of Shanghai. Nestled in the historic Zhangyuan Garden, the brand celebrated the launch with an exclusive cocktail party on April 12—and we were there.
Let’s dive into the nostalgic vacation on the French Riviera.
The French Riviera in Shanghai
Named ÉTÉ CELINE, the pop-up in Shanghai marks a fresh chapter for the house with the debut of Michael Rider’s first collection, following Hedi Slimane’s iconic tenure. It’s a new era, ushered in with a timeless concept: the effortless elegance of the French Riviera.
Inspired by nostalgic summers in Saint Tropez and the renowned Place des Lices, ÉTÉ CELINE is a sensorial escape. So, as the brand puts it, “It underlines the refined and effortless allure notoriously found on the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, a pillar of the CELINE silhouette”.
Visitors can book appointments via CELINE’s official Mini Program. On Weibo, the hashtag #CELINE夏日限时漫游 has already surpassed 46 million views. From the official opening on April 13th, Chinese netizens rushed offline. They want to take pictures, throw coins in the fountains, and chill on the beach chairs.
Designed like a summer getaway, the space fuses the charm of Shanghai’s colonial past with the spirit of France. For instance, ice cream in the Triomphe shape, lavender cocktails, Finnish keels, Pétanque games, and CELINE-designed chairs and hats complete the scene. An ode to the French Riviera and a new vision of the “French art de vivre” for Chinese consumers.
From the Inside: AB ADVISORY Insights
A few days before the reveal, I received an invitation from CELINE. The unique occasion to live the exclusive cocktail experience for the pre-opening. From the secret entrance, we received CELINE bracelets. Stepping inside the garden, we discovered an ode to Saint Tropez and the French Riviera where people were enjoying life.
In fact, the pre-opening cocktail party blended VICs and celebrities like Liu Shishi, Sun Qian, Chen Zheyuan, and supermodel Jiali Zhao. When Shishi played pétanque, the garden paused—time stood still. The press and celebrities present at the cocktail party contributed to the massive success of the event online. In a few hours, the hashtags #Celine and #Celine张园 reached a few million views.
CELINE didn’t just launch a pop-up; they created a destination. In a city racing forward, ÉTÉ CELINE delivers what today’s Chinese consumers crave: the slow life. Just like on Xiaohongshu, where the movement is growing, CELINE captured it flawlessly—a moment suspended in time in the heart of Zhangyuan Garden.
The urban consumers of Shanghai had the chance to pause, and experience a slower life.
A proof that local trends matter in such events in China.
