In Review 2024: Fashion's best pop-ups

As we reflect on the changes that shaped the fashion and retail landscape in 2024, one trend stood out - pop-ups. Brands tested the waters in new locations before opening permanent fixtures, while online-only retailers headed into the real world to boost brand exposure. How? Through the art form that is pop-up shops.

As we approach 2025, TheIndustry.fashion has curated a list of the top ten fashion pop-ups from the year.

Labrum popped up in London’s Soho

Labrum, which won the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British design last year, opened a pop-up store at 35 Marshall Street in London’s Soho.

In March, customers were invited to could shop the latest SS24 collection, as well as Labrum’s ‘Tupac’ collection, which pays tribute to the iconic music artist by "blending modern fashion with cultural homage".

The pop-up marked the 10th anniversary year of Labrum, a brand that "looks to bridge the gap between Western society and West African culture".

Molly-Mae revealed the first glimpse of her debut fashion line Maebe at London pop-up

Molly-Mae Hague revealed her 'accessible luxury' fashion line, Maebe, at an exclusive pop-up in London in September.

The influencer-turned-mogul, who worked on Maebe for three years, gave shoppers a sneak peek at her highly anticipated womenswear brand at a pop-up in London.

Guests, who were quick enough to sign up for the ticketed event, were greeted by a "chic and immersive experience" designed to reflect the brand’s aesthetic. Here, they had the opportunity to shop the collection before anyone else.

‘As Seen on Netflix’ charity-raising pop-up shop headed to East London

Netflix opened an ‘As Seen on Netflix’ one-day pop-up shop at 113 Bethnal Green Road in East London on 12 October, before moving to The Bullring in Birmingham on 19 October.

The stores were stocked with wardrobes, props and memorabilia from some of Netflix’s most popular shows, such as items from ‘The Crown’ including the suit worn by Gillian Anderson playing Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diana’s jeans from the same show, and the Marni suit as worn by Kaya Scodelario playing Susie Glass in ‘The Gentlemen’.

All of the proceeds from ‘As Seen on Netflix’ were donated to mental health charity Mind to support its work across England and Wales.

By Rotation opened its biggest-ever fashion rental pop-up in London’s Mayfair

By Rotation marked its fifth anniversary by opening the "world’s largest" fashion rental pop-up, called ‘The House of ByRo’, in London’s Mayfair in October.

The five-story space at 31 Brook Street showcased the brand’s most popular garments and accessories, "creating an immersive and interactive retail experience".

Visitors were invited to rent a handpicked selection of brands, such as Self-Portrait, 16Arlington, Terry De Havilland and Khanums, as well as coveted A-lister wardrobes from Dame Helen Mirren’s red carpet looks to Sophie Hermann, Chrissy Rutherford, Matilde Mourinho and Abisola Omole

Pop-Up Crisis opened Mayfair shop with donations from Kate Moss and Liam Gallagher

Not only are e-tailers popping up all over the UK with temporary retail spaces, but so are charity shops. Homelessness charity Crisis opened a pop-up at 28 Old Burlington Street bringing pre-loved fashion to the streets of Mayfair. Here, wardrobe donations from Kate Moss, Liam Gallagher, Minnie Driver and David Gandy were on offer.

Not only did shoppers have the chance to enter a raffle to win top items, but they could also shop a wide selection of designer brand donations, including from Marc Jacobs, Jimmy Choo, Lanvin, Moschino, Vivienne Westwood, Hackett London, Tod’s, Barbour, Sunspel and Mr. Porter, as well as 100 watches donated by Watches of Switzerland Group.

Isabel Marant launched pop-up on Vestiaire Collective

Isabel Marant showed us that pop-ups don't always have to be in person. The virtual pop-up of the year goes to Marant, the famed French fashion designer known for her eponymous label and effortlessly cool aesthetics, for her collaboration with luxury reseller Vestiaire Collective.

The online retailer granted exclusive access to the digital pop-up to shop pieces hand-picked by the designer.

The online store will spotlighted vintage pieces from the Isabel Marant, Marant Etoile line (the secondary collection), shoes and accessories. What's more, 15 of her most well-known looks from fashion shows over the past decade were on offer. There were multiple sizes available for specific looks, with prices ranging from $15 to $1,000.

Matilda Djerf’s Djerf Avenue headed to London with its first UK pop-up

Djerf Avenue, founded by Swedish Content Creator Matilda Djerf, celebrated its fifth birthday by hosting a pop-up in London. This marked the minimalist brand’s first-ever physical store presence in the UK.

The Christmas-themed pop-up, which opened its doors on Friday 29 November until 8 December, was located in the heart of Covent Garden at 25 Shelton Street. It featured Djerf Avenue’s A/W clothing collection and the latest news from Djerf Avenue Beauty.

Taking the experiential approach, at the online-only brand's pop-up, it served up Swedish treats and hot drinks, plus visitors received surprise treats from local businesses. Djerf Avenue’s community was also invited to have their hair styled for free by Dyson Beauty, using Djerf Avenue Beauty products, of course, and Essie manicures were available on the weekends.

18montrose and Represent 'revolutionised' retail with London pop-up

Represent and 18montrose set out to "revolutionise contemporary retail" by teaming up for a pop-up on London’s Regent Street.

This December, 18montrose introduced Represent to its clientele with an in-store pop-up, giving consumers the chance to shop the British streetwear brand in one of London’s biggest retail hotspots.

The Regent Street pop-up spotlighted Represent’s latest seasonal capsules, including the covetable Represent x Belstaff collection.

Emerson Stevenson-Lake, Head of Lifestyle Brand Partnerships at Frasers Group, said: "We’re excited to kick things off with Represent as our debut brand collaboration in this iconic space - a partnership that speaks to customers and portrays 18montrose an emerging leader in the luxury and contemporary market."

Kate Spade took over a London pub for an experiential festive pop-up

Talk about new, experiential forms of retail… Kate Spade took the cake with its first-ever pub takeover. The retailer, known for its playful leather goods and trinkets, made itself at home at the Exmouth Arms, located in London’s Exmouth market.

Aptly named ‘The Kate Spade Arms,’ the experiential activation delivered an "unexpected and festive design" that evoked the holiday season. Bespoke hand-painted pub signs adorned the establishment's exterior, while its interior highlighted the brand’s wit and charm with a modern ode to the ‘British Pub’.

During the pop-up (6-7 December), guests were invited to enjoy a dining experience from the curated Kate Spade menu, including speciality drinks. They also took advantage of atmospheric live music from an all-female brass band, played a round of branded pub games and participated in a series of workshops.

Shein called shoppers 'all aboard' its Christmas tour bus pop-up

Also during the golden quarter, Shein returned to the UK with the third instalment of its Christmas bus tour. The pink and red-clad bus will make stops at 12 major cities across the UK, including Manchester, Liverpool and Cardiff where customers hopped aboard to interact with festive fashion.

The Chinese-founded company, which is now based in Singapore, disrupted the fast-fashion industry by shipping cheap clothes directly from factories in locations such as China to shoppers globally.

Amid reports it is set to list on the London Stock Exchange, Shein expanded its presence in the UK with its biggest Christmas bus tour to date. This year also marked the first time the online-exclusive retailer ran an experience-led activation in Scotland, adding Edinburgh to the city lineup due to popular demand.