Tom Bray’s Day-to-Night Guide of Shanghai’s Cultural Hubs
Follow the Yeti Out founder as he takes Hypebeast around his stomping ground in the Camper Karst 2.
As the epicenter of Asia’s style, music, and all things luxury, Shanghai can be an overwhelming place for any newcomer. Fashion retailers and design studios, including our very own Hyperoom, have chosen the city to debut their latest products, whereas others have made it a more permanent home, with brands like Camper opening flagship showrooms.
Breaking down Shanghai’s ever-growing landscape of cultural hotspots, creative director and DJ Tom Bray joins Hypebeast in a new episode of City Guides. After living in Hong Kong and the UK during his formative years, Bray and his twin brother moved to China to establish Yeti Out – a music platform that boasts residencies on Rinse FM as well as various clubs in the region. Naturally, after spending “long nights and early mornings” out in the city, he’s now proud to call it his stomping ground.
With a constant thirst for discovering new bars, shops, and “all the up-and-coming designers from Asia,” the music aficionado compiles all his favorite stops for the latest installment. Going from day to night, he takes to the streets in Camper’s new Karst 2 sneaker, crafted to suit the escapades of citygoers with a ReXarge® foam midsole and a contemporary leather upper.
Keep reading to discover Tom Bray’s Shanghai hit-list for City Guides.
Spoke Beverage Room
Cycling is taking major cities by storm, and if coffee shops have anything to do with it, then Spoke is the original trailblazer. Located near a leafy park in Shanghai, the independent cafe welcomes cyclists for refreshments with its relaxed open-plan space, bench-style seating, and, at the back, a handy workshop stocked high with tools for fixing up your ride.
Spoke Beverage Room
Hua Shan Lu
Chang Ning Qu, Shanghai
XC273
More than just a retailer, XC273 is a place where fashion enthusiasts go to find the latest style trends. Set inside a disused factory, the unique industrial backdrop lends itself to the variety of futuristic brands on offer, including menswear labels Namacheko and LỰU ĐẠN. During Shanghai Fashion Week, it also opens up a cross-disciplinary design exhibition that brings together the hottest emerging talent in the scene.
XC273
Lane 273, Jiaozhou Road
Jing’an District, Shanghai
Baixin Bookstore
It’s easy to spend an entire day at Baixin Bookstore, with a wide library of Hong Kong-focused books and merchandise stocked downstairs and an art gallery situated upstairs. But, for Bray, it’s straight to the record collection in the backroom where he scours through both old and newly released vinyls curated by his friend Cheng Endy Chen of Groove Bunny Records.
Baixin Bookstore
620 Fuzhou Road
Huang Pu Qu, Shanghai
Liehuo Arcade
Lauded as “China’s gaming headquarters,” Liehuo Arcade is the perfect retreat from the city chaos for any gamer. The multi-room site houses rows of video game relics that date back to before the country’s arcade ban in the 2000s. Expect to find classic combat titles such as Street Fighter and Tekken, or try out more niche music games like EZ2DJ.
Liehuo Arcade
77 Jiangning Rd,
Jing’An District, Shanghai
Taipei Chun K
Karaoke bars may be where most people go to end the day, but Bray heads to Taipei Chun K at the start of a big night out. Featuring plush marble floors, golden statues, and glittering disco balls, the multi-level karaoke hall in Shanghai’s SML Center instantly delivers the full experience, and what’s more, you can order a steaming hot bowl of ramen to keep you fuelled through hours of singing your favorite tracks.
Taipei Chun K
618 Xujiahui Lu
Huangpu District, Shanghai
Heim
At the heart of the popular Jing’An District, you will find Heim. An underground club comprising three dancefloors, the venue specializes in electronic music with anything from techno to hard house and trance filling up the space into the early hours of the morning. Taking no days off, Bray ends the episode on the decks, joining a line-up of DJs from byyb.radio.
Heim
B1, 154 Nanyang Road
Jing’An District, Shanghai
Be sure to watch the full City Guides episode in the gallery above. To shop the new Karst 2 sneaker, head to Camper’s website or partner stockists now.
