Stella McCartney's Latest Series of Pop-ups Puts Community First
Out with the old and in with the new! Stella McCartney celebrates the reopening of her UK flagship store with a series of pop-ups, highlighting the importance of local business.
Out with the old and in with the new! Stella McCartney celebrates the reopening of her UK flagship store with a series of pop-ups, highlighting the importance of local business.
In line with the UK Government's latest COVID-19 restrictions, this week will see the reopening of many stores, large and small, both in the city and beyond. After the catastrophic year that's had an impact on large as well as smaller businesses, many of the shops set to thrown open their doors today will do so in the hope of turning over a new leaf, leaving the tragic impact finally behind them. One of those stores will, of course, be Stella McCartney's Old Bond Street flagship store, but as the famous saying, 'out with the old and in with new' goes, things may look a little different since the last time customers were allowed to visit the store (yes, for social distancing reasons but also because McCartney and her team have something much more exciting up their sleeves).
Within the first six weeks of the flagship store being opened, it will become the hub of celebration and more, importantly, collaboration with local businesses. Each week will feature various pop-ups dedicated to beauty, food, art and #Stellatalks, with the store's hopes set to become a #Stella Community of friends, looking to build on social and business connections that the pandemic has unrefutably and successfully ruined.
Aiming to express the importance of cross-collaboration in business and in life, McCartney and her team have coined the term 'Stellabartion' to describe the new pop-up space, allowing brands to, as McCartney states, 'connect, collaborate and create,' via different talk series, music performances, art installations and events. As of today, the space will include flowers by Richmond-based floral studio Flwr, food by Notting Hill's Farmacy, coffee by Fairtrade and sustainably-sourced Hackney Coffee Roasters Climpson and Sons, as well as music playlists curated by friends of the brand, including Sean Lennon, Nenah Cherry, and Grimes.
Collaboration has never been as critical and necessary as it is today. Despite the past year throwing the fashion and events industry into complete turmoil, McCartney's space and her new plans for the Old Bond Street flagship store in the coming weeks will resonate with people in and outside of the fashion industry, placing significance on people from all backgrounds and celebrating the fact that we're one step closer to a more familiar and inclusive reality.