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Kids’ Fashion Brand Balabala Reboots in China
After being put on ice at the outbreak of the pandemic, Chinese kids’ fashion brand Balabala has launched its new flagship store concept at the Wanda Plaza in Huishan (Jiangsu Province) China. A multilayered celebration of creativity targeting kids, teens and their mums, it’s a vibrant homage to individualisation that spotlights a new vision and energy within Chinese consumerism.
The concept, designed by British retail agency Dalziel & Pow (D&P) under the moniker “Together We Dream” is a spearhead concept for the brand which currently has a legion of around 4,000 physical locations globally. A symbol of its desire to push against traditional kids retail, it’s the first in a global unveiling of what D&P’s Design Director, Sarah Fairhurst says will be a “family of concepts, but not a cookie-cutter roll-out, indicative of truly embracing a sense of creative freedom”.
The design is split into three core zones, straddling Babies, Kids and Young (tweens/teens).
The Young zone features live-streamed footage from the brand’s fashion shows and campaign content, while the Kids area is dominated by the Infinity Wardrobe – a 360˚ installation in lieu of traditional mannequins whose three horizontal parts spin independently, revealing unexpected fashion pairings.
Another standalone feature is the centralised, ultra-shiny cylindrical changing rooms that play to a wannabe influencer mentality; children are invited to “use them like it’s showtime, spotlighting their self-expression” says Fairhurst. Surrounding these is a play area of large-scale yellow frames, emphasising a focus on simultaneously entertaining siblings of multiple ages.
Continuing the joy of clashing, colours are ultra-bright fluorescents mixed with soft pastels plus the brand’s signature yellow.
For more on children and brand culture, see our two Kids’ Worlds reports, covering both Retail & Brand Comms and Pop Culture & Media, publishing June 23.
