Fendi: pop-up as an urban occupation project

What the Fendi pop-up in Shanghai reveals about physical experience, culture, and the use of space in temporary activations.

Between January 15th and 18th, 2026, Fendi occupied Wukang Road in Shanghai with a pop-up shop created for the Chinese New Year. The short timeframe does not diminish the relevance of the case. On the contrary, the activation functions as a precise snapshot of a broader movement in contemporary luxury, in which product, cultural narrative, and urban space cease to operate independently. Instead of a temporary store focused solely on sales or immediate visibility, the project articulates characters, cultural practices, and local symbols as material for physical experience. The street, the configuration of the space, and the visitor's mode of circulation become integrated into the brand's discourse. The result is not a gratuitous spectacle or seasonal decoration, but a thoughtful, situated, and legible occupation. A clear example of how temporary activation can structure meaning, and not just compete for attention.

Wukang Road as cultural media, tourism, daily life and desire

It's no coincidence that Fendi chose Wukang Road for a four-day activation in January 2026. The address already operates as a kind of "urban media" in Shanghai: constant flow, architectural repertoire, walkable scale, and a ready-made choreography of consumption as a stroll. The local ecosystem itself has been described as a hub concentrating pop-ups and "first stores," repositioning the Wukang Road–Anfu Road axis at the center of the city's lifestyle retail.

This detail changes the nature of a pop-up. Instead of an isolated destination, it becomes a scene inserted into a route: enter the store, stop for coffee, cross the street, continue the walk. The experience no longer depends on the effort of "attracting" an audience, because the street already brings the audience. The brand enters an existing rhythm and competes for attention with a specific advantage: the context is real, not a closed setting.

Shanghai's institutional text highlights precisely this contrast: activations woven into historic streets and old buildings, on a pedestrian scale, make the visit part of an urban walk, and not an objective trip to consume.

From audiovisual storytelling to physical space, when the campaign takes shape.

Fendi 's Chinese New Year campaign doesn't end with the stop-motion film. It's organized as a narrative system that spans media and gains depth when translated into space. The preparation of jiaozi , a traditional Chinese New Year domestic ritual, doesn't appear as a folkloric reference, but as a narrative basis for a story about encounter, care, and coexistence. By taking this logic to the pop-up, the brand transforms characters, scenes, and objects into architectural and exhibition elements.

Window displays, large-scale sculptures, and interior settings recreate the film's universe without relying on screens or explanations. The campaign ceases to be something to be watched and becomes something to be experienced. This shift is crucial. It reduces the distance between communication and experience and repositions the pop-up store as a physical extension of an already known narrative, rather than a disconnected promotional setting.

Characters, collectibles, and the logic of material affection.

BFF Charms operate on a level that goes beyond mere accessories. They function as recognizable characters, bearers of humor, identity, and memory. By assuming this role, the object ceases to be just a fashion item and begins to act as an affective mediator between brand and audience. In the context of the Chinese New Year, this choice takes on specific weight: symbols, colors, and small narratives carry expectations of luck, continuity, and good omens.

Fendi 's strategy is clear in treating these charms as figures with personality, not as interchangeable ornaments. The presence of enlarged versions on the facade and in the windows reinforces this interpretation. The visitor finds not only products on display, but "characters" that organize the experience and guide the eye. The logic of the collectible appears as an invitation to memory, not as an incentive for immediate accumulation.

This type of tangible affection is particularly effective in temporary activations. It creates rapid recognition, facilitates the circulation of images, and establishes a bond that persists after the pop-up ends. The object comes to carry the memory of the lived experience, not just the symbolic value of the brand. Instead of a generic souvenir, the product becomes a record of a specific situation, situated in time and space.

Aesthetics with function, facade, scale, and experience of lingering.

The pink and purple sequined facade doesn't just serve as a visual lure. It functions as a temporary urban landmark, recognizable from a distance and consistent with the universe of the product it presents. The direct reference to Peekaboo, materialized in surface, color, and shine, creates an immediate connection: there is continuity between the campaign, the object, and the space. The aesthetic isn't there to decorate the street, but to assert the brand's presence in the urban fabric.

The enlarged scale of the characters reinforces this effect. By occupying shop windows and storefronts with figures over two meters tall, the pop-up alters the pedestrian's relationship with the store. It's not about observing a detail, but about being observed by it. This inversion creates attentive interruption, invitation, and curiosity. The activation interferes with the daily flow without breaking it, a difficult and rare balance in temporary actions.

Inside, the design of the experience prioritizes lingering. Coffee, interactive installations, and quizzes don't appear as add-ons, but as part of a continuous itinerary. Each layer extends the visit time and shifts the exclusive focus away from purchasing. The space begins to operate as a meeting point and not just an expanded showcase. Instead of accelerating decisions, the brand fosters interaction.

This combination of functional facade, controlled scale, and amenities reveals a mature understanding of physical space. The pop-up ceases to be an ephemeral event based on visual impact and behaves as a temporary environment for real use. In this case, aesthetics do not precede function; they support it.

Temporary activation as a project of occupation and use: what this case teaches us.

The case of the pop-up on Wukang Road helps to distinguish two quite distinct understandings of temporary activation. On the one hand, actions conceived as quick occupations, driven by visual impact and the circulation of images. On the other, projects designed for use, however brief, capable of operating with spatial logic, consistent narrative, and real permanence. The difference lies not in the duration, but in the way the space is conceived and activated.

Here, the address doesn't function as a neutral backdrop, but as an active part of the strategy. The street offers flow, repertoire, and context, and the brand responds with compatible language. The narrative isn't grafted onto the space; it guides decisions regarding the facade, scale, route, and services. The product doesn't appear isolated, but inserted into a legible cultural situation, connected to local rituals, symbols, and behaviors.

This alignment reveals a central point for brands investing in physical experiences today: temporary activation isn't about "being present for a few days," but about how a space is occupied, even if only for a short time. When the project understands the space as a means, the experience as a ritual, and the object as a consequence, the pop-up ceases to be a one-off event and begins to act as a consistent episode within a larger brand strategy.

Fendi 's pop-up on Wukang Road shows how a temporary activation can be more than just a seasonal snapshot of a brand's calendar. When address, cultural narrative, and spatial design work together, the result doesn't depend on media volume or visual gimmicks. It depends on coherence. The street is not a backdrop, but an active context. The characters are not ornaments, but language. The café, the route, and the installations are not extras, but tools for use.

For brands and creative managers, the lesson is simple yet demanding: the ephemeral doesn't have to be superficial. It can be a precise format, capable of creating memory, organizing meaning, and sustaining public perception even after the doors close.

If you follow Dezem, this is a good time to explore other case studies on physical brand experiences, activations, and retail, always with the same criterion: less noise, more design.

---

Source: Women's Wear Daily (WWD) , Luxury Daily , Jing Daily

Images: Fendi / Press Release