To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Barbie’s debut, Mattel opened the world’s first store dedicated to the iconic doll, in Shanghai, China. Situated on Huai Hai Road, one of the busiest shopping streets in downtown Shanghai, the store covers approximately 40,000 square feet of retail space on six floors. Housed inside is the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of Barbie dolls and the widest assortment of licensed Barbie products, as well as a range of services and activities for Barbie fans and their families. BIG, the strategic branding and design division of Ogilvy & Mather, Slade Architecture and Chute Gerdeman created a space in which optimism and possibility reign supreme as expressions of core Barbie attributes and the doll is absolutely the hero of the experience.
The central element of the design, and the core of the store, is a three-story spiral staircase that encloses more than eight hundred Barbie dolls. Everything in the store revolves around Barbie: the main floor is women’s fashion and includes a couture collection area as well as licensed and designer products from around the world; the mezzanine is dedicated to the doll and her fashion and accessories; and the top floor focuses on fashion and accessories for girls. Throughout the retail areas the feeling of youth and the possibilities of an unapologetically girlish outlook are reinforced by mixing reality and fantasy and always keeping the idea of play and fun at the forefront.
In addition to retail, the store features four experiential, activity-driven attractions: the Barbie Design Center, where girls get a glimpse into how to design a Barbie doll (one of the most carefully guarded secrets in the design world); the Barbie Fashion Stage allows children to experience taking part in a real runway show, choosing outfits from racks of dresses, costumes, shoes and receiving hair and makeup treatments; and the Barbie Café, a restaurant and gelato bar on the top floor offering both local comfort food and Barbie-inspired refreshments.
