Burberry launches international pop-ups for Olympia bag, starts with Harrods

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 6, 2021

Burberry has opened the first of a series of global pop-ups to celebrate its signature Olympia bag, with the debut space being in Harrods, London until May 30. It comes with an AR experience and limited editions.

The Riccardo Tisci-designed Olympia is “a structured and sculptural bag, a celebration of modern classicism”. It has “a crescent curve that moulds closely against the body, an athletic aura told through its defined arc”.

The new Harrods space interprets this aesthetic and celebrates the craftsmanship and inspiration of the bag. 

The pop-up’s design “reflects a contemporary approach. Sweeping curves are lined with statues reminiscent of Ancient Greece, reimagined for a modern era. The shape of the space resembles the arc of the Olympia, a mesmerising repetition of feminine form – majestic and strong”.

Shoppers can find an assortment of Olympia bags there, in a variety of shapes, styles and colours. There’s also a limited-edition collection in tones of in warm sand and blue topaz with a chunky gold-plated chain strap, as well as marigold yellow and marsh green with leather straps. There’s a mini size in black too. Each limited-edition bag has an edition number engraved on the inside with Harrods offering numbers one to eight.

Also adding extra interest to the pop-up is an Elpis statue, “which can be brought to life through an immersive and interactive AR experience”. The company has dived deep into AR in recent periods and this latest activation is another example of how it’s using technology to enhance the luxury experience.

Accessible via a dedicated QR code, visitors can place an animated digital version of the statue in their surroundings “and watch as it comes to life and walks towards them, leaving a trail of motion sequence statues behind it”. They can also capture a photo or  video of the animated statue.