It really doesn’t take much to get us shopping, but the ways in which we do so have changed significantly since the pandemic. While walk-in malls are so often battling with themselves to turnover stock regularly, online retail can achieve it in a millisecond — just by the push of a button. But where our culture has become so dependent on the constantly evolving world of fashion, we have left behind the simple pleasures of buying something new IRL. However, External Reference saw this as an opportunity: To revolutionise the way we shop, which brings fashion back into the light where it can be fully appreciated, experienced and explored.

Introducing WOW, an innovative retail space which blends the benefits of digital and physical shopping to create an immersive experience for its customers. Located in one of Madrid’s historic buildings, WOW spans eight floors of 5,500 square meters – with a new sensory experience on every floor.

“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 executive director of External Reference Carmelo Zappulla, ‘With this objective in mind, 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.”

Comprised of cosmetics, the first floor is full of pink painted statues, which pixelate before your eyes to perform product demonstrations. Going upwards, WOW harnesses the power of technology to combine human nature with the artificial through landscapes of 3D printed marine coral, printed with pure.tech material. Elsewhere, the fifth and sixth floors enter a mock meta verse where digital gaming is brought to life. Reaching the top, WOW presents a gastronomic space, designed to host multiple Michelin-star chefs who will present temporary proposals.

To discover more, head to externalreference.com.