Moutai’s Singapore flagship store has won a Silver Award in the Interior Design – International Retail category at the 2026 Berlin Design Awards.

Recognizing creative vision and excellence in design practice, the Berlin Design Awards provide an international platform for outstanding work from diverse cultural backgrounds. Following the MUSE Award recognition for the China Moutai Global Retail Store Identity System, Moutai’s international retail spaces have earned another design accolade.

Scene Aesthetics contributed to the Singapore flagship store from initial design through fabrication and on-site delivery, translating the brand’s cultural heritage into a tangible spatial experience. The project also represents another step in our ongoing exploration of how Chinese brands can establish meaningful connections with audiences around the world.

#01 A Window onto the Brand

Bringing Chinese Brands to Life for Global Audiences

As Chinese brands expand into international markets, they face the challenge of building brand recognition across different cultural contexts and finding meaningful ways to connect with consumers. Beyond the product itself, a physical space that people can enter and experience offers a tangible starting point for that connection.

For Moutai, a brand rooted in a long brewing tradition and a rich heritage of Chinese culture, the question is how to make that heritage accessible and meaningful to consumers overseas.

Singapore brings together diverse cultures and welcomes visitors from across the world. Here, the flagship store serves multiple purposes: showcasing products, hosting tastings and creating opportunities for cultural exchange. A visit, or even a first sip, can become the starting point for a deeper appreciation of Moutai’s distinctive character and the stories behind its flavour.

The space thus becomes a point of connection between the brand and its audience. Through an inviting atmosphere and opportunities for active engagement, it creates the conditions for cultural exchange, allowing understanding to develop naturally through observation, exploration and conversation.

#02 From Design to Delivery

Scene Aesthetics’ International Practice

Moutai’s Singapore flagship store is a tangible example of Scene Aesthetics’ work in bringing Chinese brands into international markets through spatial design. Starting with a deep understanding of the brand, we explored how to preserve Moutai’s distinctive cultural identity while expressing it through a contemporary spatial language that resonates with consumers from different backgrounds. This thinking informed every stage of the project, extending from design development to fabrication and on-site delivery.

The relationship between brand vision, spatial design, materials, craftsmanship and on-site execution is essential to ensuring that an original concept is fully realized. Throughout the process, our team focused on the integrity of the final experience, translating the design vision into a space that people can see, use and engage with.

The design carries forward the cultural foundations of Moutai’s global retail identity, using warm materials, a restrained colour palette and subtle details informed by Eastern aesthetics to create an atmosphere that is distinctive yet welcoming. Product display, tasting and conversation are thoughtfully integrated, offering different levels of engagement for visitors encountering Moutai for the first time and those seeking a deeper understanding of the brand.

Every spatial decision serves a common purpose: to bring brand culture into the everyday interaction between people and place. Products are presented in a considered setting, tastings become opportunities for conversation, and stories of brewing traditions and terroir find a natural context in which to unfold.

Delivering a project in an international market requires both a thorough understanding of the brand and the ability to translate that understanding into reality. From design through fabrication and installation, we paid close attention to how each stage contributes to the overall vision, working alongside the client and project partners to bring the concept to life.

The Singapore flagship store gives concrete expression to this approach. It also encourages us to continue exploring how spatial design can help Chinese brands establish a presence in international markets with identities that are clear, coherent and approachable.

#03 Rethinking How Chinese Brands Communicate Overseas

The recognition received by Moutai’s Singapore flagship store at the Berlin Design Awards affirms the value of this design practice. As more Chinese brands expand internationally, the questions facing design are evolving.

The cultural meaning a brand has established in its home market does not automatically travel with its products or physical spaces. Different cultural backgrounds, consumer habits and aesthetic expectations all shape how people perceive and interpret a brand. Communicating a Chinese brand overseas is therefore not simply a matter of extending its existing identity; it requires a process of interpretation and adaptation across cultural contexts.

The role of design is not to erase cultural differences, but to build understanding across them. The real challenge is not merely to introduce Chinese elements into spaces around the world, but to create experiences through which the culture and values embodied by Chinese brands can be naturally perceived, understood and appreciated in different markets.

This is the direction Scene Aesthetics will continue to explore and advance through each project: using spatial design to create meaningful connections between Chinese brands and the world.