Museum working closely with Museum & Galleries Collection on new pop-up stores in China.
The V&A has collaborated with Museums & Galleries Collection to launch its first experience-based stores in China.
The museum now has a physical presence in two of Shanghai’s most popular destinations for shopping and leisure, Grand Town and Xintiandi Plaza.
Each store will be open for eight weeks, with the grand opening on the December 7 attended by Lisa Zhang, co-founder and senior partner of Alfilo Brands; Lauren Sizeland, head of business development and licensing at the V&A; and Matthew Knowles, area director of East China at British Council.
Museums & Galleries Collection is the lifestyle and retail brand of Alfilo Brands and the V&A’s licensing partner in Greater China.
The theme of the V&A’s two pop-up stores is Art Deco, looking to the museum’s recent exhibition Ocean Liners: Speed & Style which celebrated the golden age of ocean travel in the 1920s and 30s.
The stores present the theme of Art Deco through three main categories: promotional posters, furniture and fashion illustrations. In addition, there are licensed products inspired by the V&A’s rich resource of Art Deco artefacts. Replicas and merchandise are available to order in advance in-store or online.
“One of the founding missions of the V&A was to make art available to all and these stores will make our collection accessible to a new audience,” commented Lauren. “We invite consumers to immerse themselves in art and design history, and to discover the incredible stories from our archives.
“The licensing programme and our collaboration with Alfilo Brands will continue this mission by encouraging innovation and high-quality design in the products we create.”
Alfilo Brands’ Lisa Zhang added: “We are excited to add the V&A to Museums & Galleries Collection’s experience-based store portfolio. Through experience based retail, we want to introduce the amazing collections of the world’s top museums to a wider audience in China.
“Arts add aesthetic value to licensed merchandise while tie-ins with brands and retail make arts more accessible to people.”
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