To celebrate the launch of Longtake, a sustainable brand with a forest motif, we organized a pop-up store with the theme of “My Little Forest”.
It was organized so that customers could experience the fragrance in various ways while indirectly feeling the forest in various spaces of Amore Seongsu.
Concept
While Longtake’s branding has historically been based on the motif of “a deep forest untouched by human footsteps,” the perfume launch introduced a new, more personal slogan:
“my own little forest, with me every day.”
From this, we derived three key themes—forest, scent, and me—which were reflected in the space and its content.
The visitor’s journey was designed for them to experience and focus on the scents within this forest, culminating in a moment where they could capture a photo of themselves selecting their favorite fragrance.
01. Outside
In a city, a bench conveys the message, “You are welcome to stay.” Our outdoor installation invited not only visitors but also passersby to take a moment to rest, experience the Longtake fragrance, and become curious.
A lightweight structure, built from scaffolding and filled with wood chips, diffused the brand’s signature sandalwood scent, while printed fabric panels caught the wind without obstructing the Amore Seongsu exterior.
02. Reception
As the first impression of the Longtake pop-up, this space was designed to create an impactful scene using the fundamental elements of a forest.
In a large mirror, visitors saw their reflection framed by real trees above and a bed of wood chips below.
03. Hallway
Connecting the Reception to the Garden Lounge, this transitional space used layered images of a forest to create a sense of continuous flow.
As visitors walked forward, parting each layer of fabric, they eventually encountered the Longtake logo.
Like light filtering through trees, the natural light from the windows cast shifting patterns on the fabric at different angles throughout the day.
04. Promotion
The triangular promotion zone served as the first point of exposure to the new Longtake perfume for Amore Seongsu visitors.
Objects made from sandalwood, the main fragrance ingredient, were used to create a strong connection between the scent and the product’s image.
We minimized text-based POP displays and acrylic fixtures to keep the focus purely on the visual and olfactory experience.
05. Garden Lounge
The primary challenge for the Longtake pop-up was how to evoke a forest within a confined space.
To convey a sense of grandeur and lushness, we fully utilized the view and natural light from the adjacent Seongsu Garden.
By arranging printed fabric panels in an irregular, organic pattern, we created an effect where the view of the real garden and the artistic impression of a forest would overlap.
The windows were left completely clear to maximize the view. As in the hallway, the changing angle and amount of incoming light throughout the day transformed the atmosphere,
shifting it between that of a warm or a cool forest.
We replaced standard product display tables with massive blocks created from stacked slices of a 100-year-old tree.
This was a meaningful reuse of the same wood that was featured in the ‘story A x Longtake’ pop-up exhibition for the brand’s initial launch in 2022.
The floor was covered with corkboard to represent soil, and wood chips were scattered around the wooden blocks, so walking through the space felt like a stroll on a forest path.
As the pop-up’s focus was on scent, we created a unique, multi-sensory testing tool.
We designed a glass dome with a trumpet-like nozzle that allowed visitors to press a pump with their hands, see the raw ingredients inside the dome, and smell the resulting puff of fragrance.
Crafting a working mechanism from the four combined materials—glass, metal, wood, and rubber—took many trials and errors, but in the end, the device became a centerpiece with a tremendous presence at the event.
In addition to the sawdust-scented pouches that have become a signature of Longtake pop-ups, we introduced scented fabric bracelets to align with the new perfume launch.
This giveaway was designed to allow customers to carry a subtle fragrance with them all day.
Upon entering Amore Seongsu, visitors received a fabric bracelet and were invited to spray it with their favorite of the three new Longtake fragrances to take with them.
Compared to the pouches, the fabric bracelets proved to be superior in terms of both customer experience and ease of maintenance.
For this reason, we decided to use them again for the subsequent pop-up at the Olive Young Gangnam Town flagship store.
06. Etc
(1) Mirrors, placed throughout the pop-up to look as though they are casually stuck into the beds of wood chips, play a crucial role in driving social media virality.
(2) While the main pop-up space focuses on the new perfumes, the ‘Cleansing’ and ‘Rest’ zones display hair and body products to encourage cross-sales of items with complementary scents.
06. Etc
(1) Mirrors, placed throughout the pop-up to look as though they are casually stuck into the beds of wood chips, play a crucial role in driving social media virality.
(2) While the main pop-up space focuses on the new perfumes, the ‘Cleansing’ and ‘Rest’ zones display hair and body products to encourage cross-sales of items with complementary scents.
After visiting the pop-up store, customers are greeted by the exterior.
After visiting the pop-up store, customers are greeted by the exterior.
