The Victoria and Albert Museum has launched a collection of experience-based stores in China through a partnership with Museums & Galleries, the lifestyle brand of Alfilo Brands, V&A’s licensing partner in China.

The museum now has a presence at Shanghai leisure destinations Grand Town and Xintiandi Plaza. The two stores are themed around the Art Deco design period and draw on the museum’s recent exhibition Ocean Liners: Speed & Style, which celebrated the golden age of ocean travel in the 1920s and '30s. The V&A is known for its extensive collection of Art Deco wares.

]The stores present the theme in three categories: promotion posters, furniture and fashion illustrations. Licensed products inspired by the collection are also available alongside replicas and merchandise.

“One of the founding missions of the V&A was to make art available to all, and these stores will make our collection accessible to a new audience,” says Lauren Sizeland, head, business development and licensing, V&A. “We invite consumers to immerse themselves in art and design history and to discover the incredible stories from our archives. The licensing program and our collaboration with Alfilo Brands will continue this mission by encouraging innovation and high-quality design in the products we create.”