French fashion brand has big plans for Chinese market

"As Suzhou is internationally renowned for its thriving fan artisanship, to honor this heritage, the architecture of the store has been developed in the shape of an arc, with spokes on the floor arranged in such a way to remind visitors of a traditional fan," Santi-Weil explains.

Launched in Paris in 2011, AMI has outperformed in China over the past years, representing nearly 30 percent of the global turnover.

"We have opened three out of four of our biggest flagships worldwide in China. The last two being located in Guangzhou and Suzhou, where we studied local culture and architecture to offer a unique experience to our local clientele," says Santi-Weil, adding that the consumer in China is younger than in Europe or the United States.