The “wow effect” is inherent in the marketing strategies of POP MARt, a Chinese company specialising in the production and sale of collectible toys that is conquering the global market (both online and offline) and the hearts of those who cannot resist chasing the 'White Rabbit' (and the idea of magic it represents) towards “Wonderland”, for a (salvific?) escape from everyday life.
However, while Lewis Carroll's Alice's journey was as daring as it was enlightening, in an age of monetisable, market-led emotions, the discovery of fantasy is sometimes compressed within the walls of a box: the “blind box”, the limited edition surprise box with rare variants containing “ugly cute” monsters (such as the famous Labubu) that Pop Mart has turned into cult objects, fuelling (thanks also to the synergy with influencers and celebrities) the ever-expanding demand, stimulated by a sense of urgency for which the price of the product often multiplies exponentially compared to the list price.
Riding the wave of the brand's global success, among the many stores popping up around the world, Pop Mart's new Global Landmark Store, designed by X+Living and opened in August 2025 on the top floor of Bangkok's luxury ICON SIAM shopping centre, with its 760 square metres spread over two floors, is currently the brand's largest store and a tribute to unleashing the imagination (and the wallet).
The design narrative, inspired by the experience of a dreamlike journey between deep sleep and wakefulness, is decidedly powerful.
An articulation of interconnected spaces, unexpected perspectives, enveloping fluid forms and sucking vortexes deconstructs the traditional space, subverting its Cartesian constraints and reformulating new emotional geometries in which fairy-tale puppets peep out: from the entrance space conceived as an intricate music box; to the terrace dominated by the 4 metres high Molly installation, sitting atop an elephant in traditional Thai dress (a tribute by the global brand to local culture); to the exhibition areas on the first and second floors, where floors and walls intertwine to form a kaleidoscope of images, colours, furnishings and candies; in the café dotted with unlikely elements borrowed from Western architectural vocabulary, including arches, mouldings and pilasters with capitals consisting of Labubu in the lotus position.
A scenographically (and commercially) effective project, which through the exuberance of its design guarantees an immersive experience in wonder and consolidates the brand's commercial assets. However, the concern remains that once the “novelty factor” has worn off, the spaces may risk losing their “magic”.