ABOUT

H&M, the biggest name in global fashion. In a market where trends go in and out of style at breakneck speed - how does a brand, who has collaborated with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and icons such as Naomi Campbell, continue to stay at the height of fashion when it comes to retail? Answer. They do something you’ve never seen before. Here's how we designed an experiential marketing activation, unlike anything they have done before.

Only the most unique brand experience designs are worthy of Gen-Z's elusive attention span. With this in mind, we worked with H&M to define a progressive new retail format strategy, for one of its Key Cities - NYC. The ambition was to bridge the divide between global brand and local culture, helping H&M connect authentically with new audiences.

The first store format to surface from this exciting collaboration, is a new innovation-centric retail model – purpose-built to challenge perceptions and experiment with ‘first-of-its-kind’ experiences, before anywhere else in the world. Our retail popup store design strategy was to invite people into the progressive mindset of H&M. A "who knew?" kind of place. One that evolves at the speed of culture over the course of a 12-month residency. Somewhere for both the brand and the consumer to try something new.
To launch this new retail store format, we brought to life a party-ready, winter wonderland experiential marketing activation, showcasing H&M’s Holiday Campaign and Partywear Collection. Bright, sparkly and buzzing with festive excitement it features a metallic façade takeover and interactive snowflake projections paired with Instagrammable disco-inspired installations throughout.

Taking inspiration form a traditional Brasserie – the retail interior design is broken into distinctive spaces housing different colourways and product categories. The Gift Bar, Dining Room, ‘Content’ Kitchen, Private Dining and the all-important Powder Room – all of which ‘wear’ the collection in a fun and inspiring way. The whole brand experience design and experiential marketing activation is underpinned with new cutting-edge technology which H&M is trialling for the first time in the US.

To realise this ambitious new retail concept, we devised an innovative design approach - infrastructure over architecture. Utilising a flexible plug and play retail system, the retail interior design framework enables H&M to easily bring new brand experience designs to life, at speed. Anything from seasonal fashion stories to experiential marketing activation designs, like fitness classes for H&M MOVE or an elevated showcase for their Mugler collaboration. Everything about this retail popup store design was devised to be deconstructed, reconfigured and creatively re-activated – from the façade to the floorplan to the product curation - so that no two brand experiences would ever be the same. Bringing consumers something new in retail, and showing H&M as always fashion forward.