WOW’s first physical store borrows features from the metaverse

WOW, a digital marketplace dedicated to delivering interactive shopping experiences, has recently opened their first physical store in a historic building located on Gran Via 18 in Madrid, Spain. Housed in a building that formerly operated as a hotel, the store spans across eight floors and is spread over an area of 5,500 square metres. The design of the physical store was conceived by External Reference, a Spanish architectural studio. "Shopping malls today are in crisis, physical stores compete with the online world, and it is important that they become more attractive to continue to be a part of the leisure life of cities,” says Carmelo Zappulla, founder and managing director of External Reference.

The WOW concept retail store is not designed to merely display objects for purchase. Bearing resemblance to the artworks and scenographies that have become a common spectacle in the metaverse, the store serves to attract visitors with its ethereal display of larger-than-life objects and aims at keeping them engaged through the several interactive displays spread across the large property. “We have designed a retail space that works like a large theatrical stage on which the elements are constantly changing, so that people who visit WOW will always find something different," says Zappulla.

External Reference is a Barcelona-based architecture studio that was founded by Italian architect Carmelo Zapulla. The firm develops both large and small scale works by employing expert craftsmanship and advanced digital technologies. With projects ranging from product design, interior design and urban design to those dealing with the design of exhibition spaces and buildings, the studio is truly multidisciplinary in its scope of work. Under Zappulla’s tutelage, the firm has established an extensive network with international professionals which lends diversity and quality to the designs created by them.

Zappulla, in recent years, has also adopted a ‘cradle to cradle’ approach, where he makes sure that the elements and materials that make up his designs are compatible with the circular economy . With a special focus on computational and parametric innovation, Zappulla researches geometric design patterns and complex morphologies in order to explore new formal repertoires and constructive solutions in the world of digital fabrication. This latest creation by him transcends physical and virtual boundaries to create a phygital marketplace that can be explored at leisure.

By combining physical and digital offerings, Zappulla has created a space where reality blends with the fictional world to provide an immersive experience. Since every element in the store keeps on transforming, the shortcomings of physicality and permanency are not felt. Everything is transient and ever changing, which, in conclusion, elicits constant interest. Another aspect that adds dynamism to the store is the marriage of the contemporarily sound elements designed by Zappulla and the historical context that it is set against. This leads to the creation of a diabolical and artistic dialogue in the spaces of the store. Conceived as free-standing non-permanent installations, all the additions to the store can be changed as and when required.

The first six floors house a tech garage, a self-care lab, fashion hubs dedicated to digitally native as well as established fashion brands, an urban district and a home boulevard. The last two of the eight floors will soon have a new gastronomic space that will flexibly host different Michelin-star chefs and provide for an evolving gastronomic experience. The different corners of the store are designed to accommodate different kinds of products and brands. Some of the brands that will have their own designated space in the store include Tag Heuer and Grover.

The entire store is designed and curated in a manner that conveys narrative stories to the visitors. The ground floor, dedicated to the sale of cosmetics, is dotted with pink sculptural art pieces that have been deformed and pixelated to serve as modern interpretations of the classical Italian sculptures. These sculptural installations also serve as display units. The lower ground floor, on the other hand, is dedicated to housing technological products. Inspired by the evolution of human nature in tandem with the artificial and digital worlds, it features marine corals made out of a natural mineral material that neutralises greenhouse gases by capturing and converting carbon dioxide into inert minerals.

The first, second and third floors feature objects and clothing by digitally native companies, established brands and streetwear firms respectively. All the three floors are designed to evolve and change in accordance with extant aesthetics and events. While the second floor takes inferences from a fashion runway, the third floor derives references from sports and street aesthetics. The fourth floor, dedicated to showcasing home furniture, borrows inspiration from the metaverse to create a theatrical space. All in all, the store offers not only the sale of physical products, but also promises an invigorating experience to all its visitors.