A vibrant splash of blue is Jacquemus’ newest look for the spring season. The Parisian brand has opened up a new pop-up shop at London’s Selfridges called “Le Bleu,” providing a whole experience rather than a simple trip to the mall. The space is divided into three sections: “The Selfridges Corner Shop,” which is composed of tiled sinks, an enormous glass of water, and a giant toothpaste tube, “Le Vestiaire,” which is an area inspired by swimming pool changing rooms, and “24/24,” a vending machine filled with Chiquito and Bambino bags for shoppers to purchase, as the name suggests, 24 hours a day.
It all started from the imagery of a bathroom sink, which then took inspiration from art and French cinema to be reimagined into a playful retail concept. “I wanted to create crazy and unrealistic installations, all related to water and bathroom imagery,” Creative Director Simon Porte Jacquemus said in a Q&A session with Selfridges. Indeed, his installations not only created an immersive, sensory experience unlike any other but also tied to his Spring/Summer 2022 Le Splash collection shown in Hawaii.
Le Bleu is the newest addition to an emerging sensation called “hyperphysical stores,” which are enriching and emotional retail experiences that appeal to shoppers’ senses. The term “hyperphysical” comes from dance; it translates the over-expression of bodies and gives life to spaces and objects. It’s all based on including surprises, exploring emotions, establishing community, and reinforcing touch. These stores transcend the original idea of shopping and strive to create memorable experiences for all visitors.
During the weeks preceding the opening of Le Bleu, French brand Balenciaga also opened a pop-up store to celebrate the rising popularity of its “Le Cagole” bag. Instead of a refreshing blue, however, Balenciaga’s vision is a fuzzy pink haven. The entire store is covered with pink faux fur, including tables, walls, floors — anything you can see within the space. Amidst it all, Balenciaga’s Le Cagole bags in various colors, materials, and sizes are displayed proudly, and shoppers can make purchases all while experiencing the fuzzy pink interior.
Why, you might ask, are these stores the new craze? Why are they popping up everywhere nowadays? With the COVID-19 pandemic taking the world by storm, it’s hard to experience life as it was before 2020. Most of the world shut down, forcing people to confine to their houses and separate from others. Life seems to have lost its connection with the senses.
The same goes for fashion; in-person shopping has dramatically decreased in the last two years, although not always by choice. Retailers are struggling to return to attracting pre-pandemic levels of traffic, while online retail has vastly taken over.
That’s why brands are bringing the senses back to you; with sight, sound, touch, smell, and even taste being limited, hyperphysical stores seem like almost a natural reaction to the pandemic. It’s a clever way to draw customers back to in-person shopping while capturing the essence of what it means to be “human.” These Instagram-worthy, eye-opening shopping experiences also tend to attract more of the younger population, which is definitely a large and prominent market.
But it’s not just about sales. That’s the whole point of these stores — it’s more than just retail. It’s about having a multisensory experience and seeing a visual representation of a whole fashion concept that’s enhanced by taking inspiration from other forms of art. It shows how fashion is more than just having clothes to wear — it’s a concept and an art form that now comes to life through these displays.
As post-COVID life emerges, hyperphysical stores could be the “new normal” for fashion. Pop-up stores may be short-term, but they are a great introduction to more multi-sensory, meaningful experiences in retail. The future holds a lot in store for fashion, and only time will tell where designers take it.