analog meets metaverse inside barcelona’s new and surreal mango teen store

 

masquespacio paints mango teen store as a dream-like world

 

Masquespacio has just completed the interiors of Barcelona’s new Mango Teen store for youngsters aged 11 to 13. Marked by saturated color tones and expressive lines, the clothing shop reveals a surreal setting with an unlikely combination of analog features — namely a mid-century hotel reception, swimming pool, and washing machine. Each of these archetypes boasts new functions inside the store, where references to a ‘metaverse’ world create a link between past and future. 

 

To set up the new spatial identity, the designers analyzed Mango’s young customers, searching for a way to connect with their lifestyles. After much reflection, Ana Hernández from Masquespacio says: ‘The best part of being a teen is that you are constantly living in […] a world full of things to be discovered. It’s a time when you start to dream big, without taking in mind the limits. Above in your dreams, strange things are happening that are out of the box… things that are not real.’ 

all images © Luis Beltran

 

 

repurposing analog archetypes, injecting ‘metaverse’ flair

 

With that in mind, the team at Masquespacio set up the Mango Teen store entrance with a backlit tunnel, as if prompting shoppers to delve into the metaverse dream. A swimming pool, hotel reception, and washing machine are other ‘incoherent’ elements inside the store, each given a new function and inviting teenagers to let their imagination flow.

 

The swimming pool serves as an exhibition island, the hotel reception as a cashier/pick-up counter, and the washing machine as a recycling point where customers can donate old clothes. Concerning other display features like shelves and racks, the goal was to create a game of straight and organic lines nodding to gender neutrality.

 

Continuing with the concept of converting the conventional into something surreal, two types of finishing define the colored surfaces. One part of the store is coated in a matt finish, while the other part displays reflective, fluorescent coloring — creating an unusual pairing that connects the analog to the digital.

backlit tunnel at the store entrance

 

 

However, the truest expression of the ‘metaverse’ happens inside the fitting rooms of the Mango Teen store. There, reflective paneling and art-deco mirrors take over and welcome youngsters into a game of optical effects that distort reality. According to Masquespacio, this is ‘one of the most requested shop features by the teens, making it clear that the new Mango Teen store is designed to make them live an unforgettable shopping spree, full of experiences adapted to their lifestyle.’

cashier / pick-up counter nodding to a traditional hotel reception 

the fitting room at Mango Teen holds the clearest expression of the ‘metaverse’

entrance to the fitting room

washing machine converted into a donation box to recycle clothes