Jacquemus x Selfridges: A Surrealist Shopping Experience
Image from Random Studio
Get ready to immerse yourself in a surreal world of fashion and design.
London's iconic department store, Selfridges teamed up with renowned French fashion designer Simon Jacquemus in May 2022 to create a series of surrealistic pop-up activations called Le Bleu.
The pop-ups, including The Corner Shop and the Old Selfridges Hotel, occupied locations throughout the shop.
The Corner Shop served as the pop-up’s main retail space, featuring an interior decorated with pale blue tiles.
Image from Random Studio
The display area included an oversized bathtub, sponges, shower facilities, and sinks showcasing exclusive products and pieces from Jacquemus's Spring Summer 2022 collection.
Image from Random Studio
Random Studio, a leading experience design studio, collaborated with Jacquemus to create the pop-up activation spaces, which Selfridges described as a "surrealist reimagining of Jacquemus founder Simon Jacquemus' very own bathroom."
"I wanted to create crazy and unrealistic installations, all related to water and bathroom imagery," said Jacquemus.
One of the most eye-catching installations in The Corner Shop was a large transparent tube of toothpaste spilling ribbons of red and white gel.
Another brand activation behind Selfridges featured a life-sized vending machine stocked with exclusive editions of Chiquito and Bambino bags, which shoppers could access 24/7.
These highly engaging brand experiences, which are meticulously planned and strategically thought through, set Jacquemus apart.
At the Old Selfridges Hotel, the final pop-up, titled Le Vestiaire, referenced swimming pool changing rooms. The sensory brand activation featured blue tiles covering the space's walls, floor, furniture and a curved welcome desk positioned in front of a tile-clad wall that held a collection of rolled-up towels.
Blue lockers and changing cubicles lined the walls at the rear of the space and included "3D experiences" drawing on the iconography of surrealist French filmmaker Jacques Tati.
From Random Studio’s website:
“The changing room is animated by a soundscape and lighting gestures that bring life to each cabin, from pacing and humming to light play that suggests a human presence behind the door. Like a joke unfolding around them, visitors become part of the choreography of the space. They can enter several of the cabins where several mini-scenes play out, from a Russian doll-like cabin with multiple versions of itself inside to a cabin rattled by an unexpected gust of wind.”
Le Bleu was the latest edition of Jacquemus' vending machine pop-ups across Europe's fashion capitals, including Milan and Paris. The three pop-up activations were open from 3 May until 4 June 2022.
Jacquemus's work with Selfridges followed his 2019 Parisian restaurant Oursin, which featured whitewashed walls, colourful ceramics, and rattan furnishings designed to "perpetuate summer."
Le Bleu was a one-of-a-kind shopping experience and is a true showcase for how IRL experiences can build your brand awareness with creative and strategically designed pop-up retail spaces.
Images are courtesy of Selfridges unless otherwise stated.