The first Vidal Sassoon Academy in China, situated in the heart of Xintiandi Shanghai.

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Surrounded by galleries, restaurants and fashion houses in the fashionable district of Xintiandi, the Academy combines a carefully renovated traditional Long Tang structure with an ultra-modern interior. Stainless steel, aluminum, back painted glass and other synthetic materials are used to form the interior which punches out of the building at the entrance; the barrel vaulted cutting room was similarly re-built and designed to bathe the top floor in controllable natural light.

 

The different components of the Academy combines three connecting concepts: the integration of a regional teaching centre; the linking of the first educational school for hair couture in the country, and a showcase for the company's growing global image.

 

Special attention was given to maximise the potential for multivalent space to enable the academy to fulfil its remit as brand showcase, exhibition space, education facility and commercial salon. The environment enables a series of flexible, multi-functional workspaces to meet the different needs and capacities of its users. Spaces that combine teaching zones, workshops for concentration and creativity, a video lecture theatre, lounges and a private terrace for relaxation.