Valentino is making a pop-up appearance at the high-end South Coast Plaza shopping center in Southern California with a 12-day visit highlighting the label’s purses decorated with its signature metal-stud details as well as shoes and jewelry.
The space located in Crystal Court features accessories from the Valentino Garavani Roman stud family, which is a contemporary nod to the label’s handbags and shoes defined by bold, oversized metal studs. The purses include the Valentino Garavani One Stud, the Valentino Garavani Locò and the Valentino Garavani Stud Sign.
The pop-up, open from Monday to May 13, has a high-tech element with an LED wall paneling that helps create an immersive experience. There is also an interactive 360-degree photo booth with a panoramic image to become immersed in the Valentino Rendez-Vous campaign created for the spring 2022 collection whose theme is indoors meets outdoors.
The LED panels also display the campaign, shot with Zendaya and filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles. The 25-year-old actress and singer floats down the studio’s sunny backlot streets where she walks through various thoroughfares wearing different Valentino pieces.
To enhance the digital experience, visitors can use their smartphones to scan designated markers and experience the Valentino Garavani Roman Stud bag in a 3D augmented reality activation.
The Southern California pop-up follows on the heels of two similar Valentino pop-ups in the Middle East. In March, there was a pop-up store at The Dubai Mall in the United Arab Emirates to showcase the stud bag collection and a similar pop-up at the Kingdom Mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Valentino Garavani collection was the vision of creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, who dedicated the label to accessories.
The accessories collection’s name is a nod to the label’s creator, Valentino Garavani, who launched his company in 1959 and became a favorite of the Ladies Who Lunch. Former First Lady Jackie Kennedy was a fan of the designer and even had Valentino create her wedding dress when she married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.
The label is now owned by Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, which also owns Balmain.
The South Coast Plaza pop-up complements the company’s permanent store at the shopping center in Costa Mesa, Calif., which carries men’s and women’s fashions.