Denim brand G-Star Raw has continued its relentless global expansion with the opening of a second store in Shanghai.

In itself, this might not seem terribly remarkable but, at 8,075 sq ft, this is the brand’s biggest global flagship to date, spanning two floors and boasting a 36 ft-high denim wall.

Displaying a palette of steel, concrete and oak, the store’s interior, which has men’s products on the ground floor and women’s and more men’s on the first, is uncompromisingly modern and has little truck with the heritage card that is usually played in denim shops. Instead, the feeling is more modern architectural, aided by a sweeping spiral staircase that dominates the view on the ground floor.

This is denim as a style statement and the interior has been created with this in mind - there is little sense of overcrowding and the visual merchandising is distinctly minimalist in intent. This is an almost monochromic interior, with the only colour being provided by the muted tones of the denim and associated merchandise. The building itself is a slice of an older Shanghai than the skyscrapers and malls that tend to be associated with the majority of the city.

There are many ways in which denim is presented in retail and there are few arenas in fashion that are more competitive. That said, for the retailer’s second store in China’s commercial capital, G-Star Raw has come up with something that is altogether different from the norm. The store launched on December 13.