ZHU: a fashion showroom with an after-dark identity

Project location: New York, NY · Project context: 2018 · Prepared by POPUP from the project archive in October 2026.

Serpents & Ateliers presented ZHU's bespoke pieces as fashion in a working showroom. An in-store rave then brought the collection and his music community into the same setting.

How can an artist's fashion collection stand on its own?

The setting should reflect how the artist wants the work to be understood: here, as fashion with a distinct point of view.

Present ZHU’s bespoke pieces as fashion in a working showroom, then let an in-store rave join the collection to his music community.

The Serpents & Ateliers collection in the original showroom event film · New York, 2018.
The Serpents & Ateliers collection in the original showroom event film · New York, 2018.

Give the collection a working showroom

Bespoke pieces were presented as fashion statements, with the atmosphere of a working showroom giving the collection room to speak for itself.

Bring music and fashion together

ZHU hosted an in-store rave, joining the fashion presentation and music community in one experience.

The planning lesson

Let the category determine the presentation. A fashion showroom needs space for the pieces and their detail before the live program begins. Plan the change in room use so the later gathering feels connected to the collection visitors came to discover.

Who delivered the experience

POPUP delivered a showroom-style experience for custom-created fashion pieces, connecting collection discovery with an in-store rave hosted by ZHU.

What the experience made possible

The atelier gave ZHU’s collection a physical setting that could evolve from discovery and shopping into a live gathering.

Project questions

Where did the experience take place?

ZHU: New York, NY.

What was the delivery scope?

Artist showroom experience; Pop-up retail; Music-led event.