In recent years, beauty stores have evolved beyond mere retail spaces. Increasingly, they have become places where brands express their philosophy through materials, craftsmanship, and the systems of circulation they choose to create.

Japanese beauty brand SHIRO will open its second Taiwan location, “SHIRO Eslite Spectrum Nanxi Store,” on June 3, 2026, inside the lifestyle complex Eslite Spectrum Nanxi in Taipei’s Zhongshan district.

Courtesy of SHIRO

The Zhongshan area — where old Taipei streets coexist with new creative energy — has become one of the city’s most culturally layered neighborhoods. Once known as “Datie Street,” an area filled with auto parts and metalworking shops, it now sits adjacent to Chifeng Street, where vintage textures and contemporary culture naturally intersect.

Rather than simply opening another overseas boutique, SHIRO focused on the memory embedded within Taipei’s manufacturing culture itself.

Beyond Recycling: A Philosophy of Reuse

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the new store is that SHIRO’s “zero waste” philosophy is not treated as a slogan.

Through field research across Taipei, the brand encountered abandoned warehouse rack materials and unused ceramic tiles sleeping inside industrial waste facilities. Instead of refinishing them, SHIRO intentionally preserved their scratches, dents, and signs of age, transforming them into store fixtures and the main display table.

Courtesy of SHIRO

This approach differs from conventional ideas of “recycling.” Rather than consuming additional energy to break materials down into raw resources again, SHIRO proposes another way of thinking: allowing existing objects to continue living through new value.

Sustainability has become unavoidable within both fashion and beauty. Yet increasingly, the question is no longer simply whether something is “eco-friendly,” but how naturally circular thinking can be integrated into everyday experience.

In this store, the traces of time themselves become part of the design language.

Translating Taipei’s Afternoons Into Fragrance

Launched alongside the store is the Taiwan-exclusive fragrance “KACHA,” which also moves beyond the idea of a conventional limited-edition scent.

KACHA Eau de Parfum 40mL NT$1,100
Courtesy of SHIRO

The fragrance draws inspiration from Taiwan’s “Xiawucha” afternoon tea culture — a quiet pause in the middle of humid days, where tea and sweets become a moment of “xiaoquexing,” or small but certain happiness.

“KACHA” evokes Taiwanese fruit tea through transparent lychee sweetness, citrus freshness, black tea, rose, and soft woody notes lingering in the background.

Courtesy of SHIRO

SHIRO has long approached fragrance as a way of translating the atmosphere of a place into scent. Here, the brand attempts to capture not simply fruity notes, but the feeling of everyday life in Taiwan itself.

The sensation of cooling down with iced fruit tea during a humid afternoon. A gentle reset within the rhythm of the city. Those fleeting moments seem to have been distilled into fragrance form.

Opening the Process of Creation

Another notable aspect of the project is that SHIRO does not only present the finished space — it also reveals the making process itself.

Paper scraps discarded by local printing companies were upcycled into display fixtures. Workshops will also be held to share the creative process behind these installations. Layered vertically, the paper offcuts create woodgrain-like textures that feel both industrial and organic.

Courtesy of SHIRO

The space was designed by Hiroyuki Ogura of interior design studio DRAWERS, who has also worked on projects including “MAISON SHIRO” and SHIRO’s Tokyo office. His practice consistently explores circular design and what he describes as “responsibility in creation.”

Hiroyuki Ogura | Courtesy of SHIRO

Increasingly, luxury spaces are shifting away from simply asking “what is being sold?” toward “how was this made?” and “what systems does it support?”

What SHIRO presents in Taipei may therefore be less about overseas expansion, and more about building a future together with the culture and materials of a place.