In the fashion world today, many classic (some almost dying) brands are getting a breathe of life by roping in a big name creative head to give it a makeover (more like an overhaul at times) . First, it started with Tom Ford for Gucci, to Phoebe Philo for Celine, Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy and most recently Hedi Slimane for Yves Saint Laurent.

Hedi Slimane has signaled his intention to bring the glory back to the 51-year-old brand, alongside the likes of Chanel and Christian Dior, and he did so very quickly by changing the brand name to Saint Laurent – surprising many people in the industry. And just 25 September, the brand took another great leap forward with the opening of its first Saint Laurent Paris boutique — in China. The roll-out of Saint Laurent Paris boutiques will follow with upcoming openings in Paris and Berlin.

The 3,200-square-foot Shanghai store is the first of its kind, designed by Mr. Slimane and set to sell both men’s and women’s ready-to-wear lines. The retail space’s design references the French Art Deco and Union des Artistes Modernes (French Union of Modern Artists) movements. Black and white marble butts up against raw concrete and gold and chrome-edged mirrors playfully refract the space under industrial neon lights and a steel ceiling. Honestly,in my opinion, the black and white treatments reminds me vaguely of the the Dior Homme store, and Hedi Slimane had spent a period of time as it’s designer prior . This leaves me wondering if he might be bringing a lot of that style into Saint Laurent as well. Well, we have to wait till January to find out when his first collection are expected to hit the shelves.

In the meantime, the store will initially carry products designed by Slimane’s predecessor, Stefano Pilati. Here’s a sneak of the ad visual that appeared recently in Vogue Hommes Japan, shot by the Hedi Slimane – the designer has also made quite a name for himself as a photographer.