Fiorucci opens Fred Segal pop-up

Italian fashion house Fiorucci has introduced its spring/summer 2022 collection and campaign to Los Angeles shopping destination Fred Segal. The famed department store, made famous by its A-list celebrity clientele, is currently home to a Fiorucci pop-up space at their 8500 Sunset Boulevard flagship store. The installation is currently shoppable and on view until April 30 to coincide with the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

“Pop-ups like this are integral to connecting with audiences,” said Fiorucci artistic director Daniel Fletcher to FashionUnited. “Retail has always been a fundamental part of Fiorucci, everyone always talks about the original stores in New York and Milan, so a focus on opening more pop-ups in iconic stores such as Fred Segal is really important for us.”

Fiorucci opens pop-up at Fred Segal to coincide with Coachella

This marks Fiorucci’s first physical shopping experience in Los Angeles since the ‘70s. In a way, this is a re-introduction of the Fiorucci brand to the L.A. audience.

The title of the Fiorucci spring/summer 2022 collection is Desert Oasis. It blends archival Fiorucci imagery with new styles and prints. Silk shirts adorned with palms, and sunbeams stretched across crochet knits inspired by The Instant City in 1970s Ibiza comprise the collection. Hazy orange prints reminiscent of the rising desert heat stretch across silk mini slip dresses, organic cotton jersey, and matching cycling shorts also make up the collection.

Fletcher wanted to align the pop-up and collection launch with Coachella because he feels both are about celebrating life. The brand also introduced many new silhouettes this season that he feels reflect the spirit of the brand and “are perfectly aligned with the comeback of Coachella and festival season.”

Regarding why Fiorucci wanted Fred Segal as the retail partner to launch this collection, Fletcher said, “The Fred Segal store on Sunset is an iconic space with an incredible curation of brands, and both Fred Segal and Fiorucci are synonymous with concept and experiential retail. There's a long-standing history between Fiorucci and LA, and I'm really glad that with the support of Fred Segal, we were able to bring the original Angels brand back to the City of Angels.”

Partnering with Fiorucci has already led the brand to a harem of VIP clients, stylists, editors, and customers flocking to the collection. Pop-ups were once a less expensive way for brands to have a temporary retail location before buildings were stripped or refurbished, but they have since evolved into a core part of the fashion system.

They still require a much smaller investment than a permanent store and come with no stipulations for long-term leases, as are typical in U.S. retail. Pop-ups also allow brands to test ideas and see what resonates with consumers. These temporary stores, or sometimes store-in-stores in department store cases, are an excellent tool for helping tangibly build brand awareness. For department stores, like Fred Segal, pop-ups are also great for test marketing. Rather than doing large buys of products and having mass inventory, stores allot brands space for a period of time. In turn, department stores also attract new audiences, and the brands also benefit from the department store's regular customers. It’s a symbiotic relationship.