TEDDY BEAR MEETS PANDA: Feting the 10th anniversary of the Teddy Bear coat, Max Mara last week unveiled The Fluffy Residence, an experiential pop-up, at the luxury mall IFS Chengdu, in the Chinese city famed for its panda reserve.
The space reimagined what a home would look like if everything was wrapped in the coat’s signature fluffy beige fabric, from the kitchen countertop, bookshelves, and flowers to tableware, the bed with a giant teddy bear figure sitting on it, and even the bathroom.
It also comes with an interactive mirror where, through a camera, a digital teddy bear can mimic the movements of the visitors.
The location instantly became a popular destination for the city’s fashion-savvy consumers, who queued up to create content to upload to Chinese social media platforms like Xiaohongshu, WeChat, and Douyin.
On Saturday night, the brand also restaged its fall 2023 collection show in the city with notable attendees such as Chinese actress Zhu Zhu and actor Hou Wenyuan, as well as representatives from local retail partners like IFS, SKP, Taikoo LI, and in99.
The show came with a special showcase of the Teddy Bear coat in various colors, reinforcing the mantra of the brand’s bestselling item “I was, I am, I will be” in the latest campaign featuring Mariacarla Boscono.
A mother-daughter duo closed the show wearing the limited-edition rhinestoned Teddy Bear coat, and the newly introduced mini Teddy Bear coat, respectively.
These pieces are now on sale at the Max Mara flagship at Chengdu IFS, as well asthe Teddy Ten pop-up in New York. They will be soon available in selected Max Mara stores in cities like Tokyo, Milan, London, Hong Kong, Sydney, Dubai, Paris and Seoul.
After Chengdu, it’s understood that the fluffy home pop-up concept will travel to Europe. — TIANWEI ZHANG
