Project
FormRoom was invited to work with creative agency Anyways Creative to produce and install a pop-up shop to celebrate the launch of the Converse X JW Anderson collection.
The brief was to create a pop-up shop in collaboration between fashion designer JW Anderson and iconic sneaker brand Converse. In the second season of this exciting partnership, JW Anderson reworks the classic Chuck Taylor All Star 70 for the “Toy Collection” and produces a Converse X JW Anderson pop-up to match. Inspired by his love of collecting art, Anderson drew inspiration from the ceramics and sculptures of artist Ron Nagle. The Toy collection features bold colours, flawless lacquer finishes and oversized, textured laces.
FormRoom produced the playful pop-up gallery that embraced the playground theme as key to the overall concept. The shop design was intended to replicate the traditional visual language of an art gallery.
Blocks of different shapes, materials and colours were stacked to create interesting exhibition pedestals, each representing the colour scheme of a coach.
The back wall and column of the gallery were covered in rough terry cloth, a nod to shoelaces. A bespoke gradient wall, which mimics the brightest colours of the shoes, creates an eye-catching feature in the gallery and is an important photo motif for marketing purposes.
Bespoke soft play units, which mimic the blocks that form the plinths, have been produced with a glossy PVC finish to match the playful materials in the collection. To echo the playground theme, customers were encouraged to play with the colourful foam blocks and build modular shapes. These interactive moments put visitors at the heart of the collaboration and become part of the artwork themselves.
The JW Anderson X Converse pop-up shop in the heart of Soho was the perfect setting for a colourful, exploratory, collaborative brand activation. The pop-up shop gallery also hosted a programme of events, talks and workshops with curators, editors and artists that shook up the industry and created a buzz. A perfect example of a brand using the flexible retail format to deliver engaging and relevant brand experiences to its audience.