Featured photos from By Sahara
For an independent fashion brand, bringing a collection into a physical space is about more than putting product on rails. It is an opportunity to let customers experience the brand, try pieces on, meet the team and spend time with the world behind the clothes.
That came to life recently as By Sahara took over a London space for its in-residence pop-up, creating a physical home for its collection and community.
A modern take on 90s style
Founded by Sahara, the brand describes its approach as combining the sophistication of 90s fashion with a more modern approach to sustainability. The brand focuses on seasonless designs, creating pieces intended to feel timeless rather than tied to a particular trend or season.
That makes the physical retail experience an interesting extension of the brand. The residency gave customers the chance to discover By Sahara in person and experience the clothes away from the screen.
Bringing the collection into the room
For the residency, FoundPop supplied the furniture needed to make the space work as a retail and event environment.
Hanging rails created the main display infrastructure for the collection, while fitting rooms gave customers somewhere to try pieces on. A cash desk provided the practical checkout point, as well as a DJ desk supporting the more social side of the activation.
It is a great example of how a pop-up can need to perform several jobs at once. The furniture needs to showcase the product, support the customer journey and work alongside the programming and atmosphere of the space.
A residency built around the brand
Fashion brands taking a residency approach is inspiring as well as a practical and strategic decision. A temporary space gives brands the opportunity to meet their audience IRL without committing to a permanent retail footprint, while giving customers a reason to engage with the brand beyond the online store.
For By Sahara, the London residency created that opportunity to bring its distinct aesthetic into a physical environment and give its community a place to experience the collection.
Resident DJ Jashel Nelson
Caterers Platter Up
Help with the details The Set Collective
Inspiration for London Fashion Week
With London Fashion Week coming up, By Sahara’s residency is also a useful reminder of what can make a fashion pop-up work during one of the city’s busiest periods.
A showroom, press space, collection launch or temporary retail environment needs more than somewhere to hang clothes. You need a considered layout, a clear point of sale or objective, and furniture that can accommodate the wider experience around the collection launch or gathering.
Planning your London Fashion Week space? Explore FoundPop’s ready-to-book packages, designed to help fashion brands, agencies and production teams get their spaces ready for September.
