For this month’s ‘experiences we love’ we review London’s best Christmas windows, Lush’s new bathbomb-only store in Tokyo, Choose Love – the charity shop with a difference, and Google Pixel’s Curiosity Rooms.
Lush launched its latest concept shop in Tokyo’s fashionable Harajuku district dedicated entirely to bath bombs.
What we love
The design. Colourful bath bombs line the walls and a conveyor making the place feel like being inside Candy Crush.
The exclusive products. Among the range of 89 different bath bombs – an homage to cofounder Mo Constantine inventing the bath bomb in 1989 – are a number of limited-edition exclusives, many of which are inspired by Harajuku’s unique fashion scene.
The technology. The concept store does away with signage and demo stations. Instead, shoppers can scan any bath bomb with the Lush Labs App to find out ingredient details and watch demonstrations.
It’s eco-conscious. Like several other Lush stores, the Harajuku branch is packaging-free. Shoppers can use trays to carry their bath bombs in store and take them home in reusable wraps.
Grassroots aids organisation Help Refugees recently opened a pop-up store in Soho that makes it easy for people to donate. Shoppers buy practical gifts such as tents and blankets in store and a similar item is sourced locally and given to refugees.
What we love
It builds empathy. The layout of the store follows the journey of refugees from their arrival to the beginning of their new future and the products are organised by what they’ll need at each stage. It gives people a real insight into what refugees go through and the basic necessities they sometimes have to go without.
It’s gifting with a difference. Getting into the spirit of giving isn’t too hard this time of year and Choose Love lets people buy items for those who really need them.
Pitching up for five weeks on Regent’s Street, Google Pixel’s Curiosity Rooms is a dedicated hub of discovery with talks, workshops, music, and rotating pop ups. The space also shows off the Pixel 3’s new technology through various set-ups across the 3 floors.
What we love
Visitors learn about the Pixel while having fun. The phone market is serious competition, so creating an innovative experience hub that lets people discover the Pixel 3 by having fun with it is a good way to make the phone stand out. There are plenty of spots for selfies, including a car wash window where people can make group videos and a slide where the Pixel promises to capture a photo without you blinking.
The event line-up. Every day sees a new talk with popular podcast hosts, creatives, actors, and other cultural icons. Most of its (free!) scheduled events have been unsurprisingly booked out.
We love that Google’s continuously creating new and engaging experiences. Click here to read about how we brought its Digital Garage to Manchester.
Christmas shopping generally spells stress more than fun but what is fun is seeing all of the festive displays on show. In London, many shops and department stores went all out and dressed their windows to the 9s.
What we love
The dedication to a theme. Selfridges stands out with its rock ‘n’ roll windows featuring multiple rock star Santas. Fortnum & Mason’s food and drink theme was executed with great extravagance with flying mince pies, gold turkeys, and spinning lobsters.
The critters. What do dinosaurs, mice, and frogs have in common? We’re not sure either but they’re all in Coach’s Regent Street window dressed up to celebrate the festive season. Liberty also went for wildlife with cardboard cut-outs of various illustrated animals for an elegant, low-key design.
