Birthday Beats is a series where we check in with Shanghai staples to pre-toast their anniversary.
The Bund lounge celebrates its first birthday in truly glamorous style with a live band, DJ sets and special packages for drinks (RMB138) and dinner (RMB388) on September 9. We caught up with owner Michelle Garnault and General Manager David Wang to chat birthday parties and making it to one.
Congratulations on Glam's anniversary. What birthday plans are in store?
First we’re encouraging guests to dress up - everyone really does love to dress up and any excuse will do! So Glam’s 1st birthday celebrations will see lots of action over the evening - a live band, and fabulous DJ Clef G. We’ve created four special birthday cocktails including ‘Thank Glam Its Friday’ and ‘Birthday Cake,' with canapés and bites to match. We’ll be encouraging lots of dancing of course.
The dress-code is anything that matches Glam’s famous peacocks, so we encourage everyone to come dressed to the nines (it is 9/9 after all!) and let your inner peacock shine.
Taking it back to the beginning, why did you start Glam and what were some of the biggest changes you wanted to make to distinguish it from Glamor Bar?
We had to move due to issues with Glamour Bar’s landlord, so we wanted our new space to be Glamour Bar 2.0. Our slogan was always‘Glam is the new Glam.' We wanted it to be completely different in feel, something fresh and vibrant, but with the obvious mark of M: specially-crafted, sophisticated cocktails and delicious food - a place to chill, chat and have fun.
Design wise, what style were you trying to go with for Glam and has it changed within the past year?
Glam very much emulates a jewelry box. The emerald, lapis and sapphire tones feel stylish whilst velvety chairs and plush seats make it comfortable to lounge, drink and dine. Our two peacocks bring a bit of M’s signature glam-factor and with a private ‘kissing corner’ the space is versatile for different kinds of events.
It’s clear when you walk into Glam that it has a very strong art focus. All of the art came from Michelle Garnaut’s (the eponymous M) personal collection and adds a distinctive flair. We’ve recently launched a new initiative called The Wall at Glam, which is an open platform fostering creativity within the community. We feature a new artist, designer or creator each month on our ‘Wall.' All creative ideas are welcome. If you’ve got one, let us know!
What have been some of the biggest challenges in operating in Shanghai and how has running a business on the Bund changed compared to when M on the Bund first started?
When M opened M on the Bund, that was practically IT on the Bund. Actually in 1999 there weren't many international standard restaurants in the whole city... and it stayed that way for about the next five years. Now Shanghai boasts approximately 180,000 restaurants, of which about 800 are in the ‘Bund Area.’ So in 12 years, the entire Bund landscape has changed.
The main challenge of operating a business in Shanghai is the speed at which the environment changes. Anything can change at the drop of a hat—the market, the laws, the economy, the regulations, the owners, the rent, the staff—you name it!
What have been some of the unique benefits that Shanghai provides for Glam compared to other cities around the world?
Shanghai is at the top of its game right now. It’s international, dynamic, exciting and teeming with cool people going to the trendiest parties, doing the coolest things. Being in a city like that clearly brings in a vibrant crowd who want to experience something new and that has allowed us the freedom to explore that.
What were some crisis moment you went through with Glam that you can laugh about now and what were some highlights of its first year?
First, the good. The highlights were by far our multiple awards. And then the bad…
We were ready to open in the middle of last year with a name that has a very different connotation now: the XiXi Room. All the graphic design was finished, logos were printed, the entire concept was in its final stages and two weeks before we were set to open, XiXi Bistro launched and we had to scrap and rethink the entire name, the graphics… the lot really! Everything had to be redesigned and renamed, which delayed us by weeks. And then an even bigger nightmare happened, but we’d rather not talk about that one!
What are Glam's future plans?
To continue delivering the best we can and to grow our reach. We have a fabulous new Bar Manager, Blackey, who’s a whizz concocting cocktails and is passionate about bringing unique elements into our drinks. The other night she made an intriguing looking black cocktail for our ‘Sleepless in Shanghai’ opening party for Taiwanese artist Huang Yen Chao - one of it's elements was a paste made of squid (weird, but quite delicious) and we are re-designing our menu for a more relaxed (but just as delicious) dining experience.
We’ve got lots of plans for live music, collaborating with others, including JZ, groovy DJ’s and more talks and events. And psst…just between us: watch out for some great guest chef collaborations coming soon!
Sep 9, 7pm, RMB138-150 (RMB388-400 for dinner package). Glam, see event listing.
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