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If you’ve ever wished you could crawl inside a Betsey Johnson store circa its heyday, your moment has arrived. Next weekend, from March 27-29, the designer is taking over Shopify’s SoHo space and turning it into “Betsey World,” a fully immersive glitter bomb pop-up.
Set at 131 Greene Street, the experience is designed as a series of themed environments pulled from Johnson’s decades-long creative universe. There will be an art gallery filled with original works, a bedroom and locker room that channel her personal history and a full-blown maximalist floral dreamscape. Rather than just recreating past stores, the new pop-up is a surreal mix that leans nostalgic, but with a slightly trippier edge.
A curated capsule of apparel, handbags, shoes and jewelry—each inspired by Johnson’s own artwork—will be available for purchase on-site, alongside select original pieces for collectors. The idea is that you’re not just browsing racks; you’re also taking home part of the world you just wandered through.
The pop-up also marks a return to something Johnson has said she’s missed: direct connection with shoppers. “I’ve always loved my stores because that’s where I got to meet my girls, seeing what they chose, how they styled things and hearing their stories,” said Johnson in a press release. “I’ve missed that so much. This pop up feels like opening my doors again, but this time you’re stepping into my memories, my art and my world.”
There’s also a charitable layer baked in. For the second year running, the activation supports the Elton John AIDS Foundation, with $1 from every purchase (both at the pop-up and select online styles) going toward efforts to end AIDS globally. The partnership has already raised more than $150,000.
Now that retail is increasingly digital (or at the very least, aggressively efficient), “Betsey World” feels like a deliberate throwback to when shopping was emotional and a little unpredictable. You’re not just clicking “add to cart;” you’re stepping into a fully realized fantasy, if only for an hour.