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NEW YORK—To promote the release of its new Bodify advanced Smart Bra—which was designed to adapt and accommodate a woman’s unique, often fluctuating body—intimates brand Soma held a pop-up event from Feb. 18-19 in New York's SoHo neighborhood.
The Soma team is billing the Bodify bra as its most innovative product to date. "[It] marks first-to-market technology and construction combined with specialized stretch that delivers on unprecedented bra fit and comfort you can count on," explained Kimberly Grabel, senior vice president of marketing for Soma's parent company, Chico's FAS. "This bra takes the guesswork out of finding a bra that works for your unique size and shape.”
So to celebrate that innovation, the brand wanted to create a custom-curated activation that really brought the new bra to life. Soma and its brand team worked closely with full-service creative agency Ludlow Grey to create the pop-up.
“Through opening this pop-up, we wanted to deliver a personalized interaction for customers, with the product and brand, in an Instagrammable, memorable environment,” Grabel said, adding that the goal “was to get this incredible, solution-focused product in the hands of our customers. We wanted them to feel the material and try it on for an intimate (no pun intended) experience.” 
Soma collaborated with Ludlow Grey—a full-service creative agency specializing in experiential and event strategy, design and production—to bring the pop-up to life.Photo: Courtesy of Soma Intimates
Upon arrival, guests showed proof of vaccination and entered a space configured with private fitting rooms, a serene lounge area complete with greenery, pink-toned seating characteristic of the brand and a video wall showcasing the campaign’s video content. The room’s design was anchored by a central table offering visual callouts of the bra’s benefits, including what “bra-blems” they solve. Keeping in the "bra lab"-like theme, customers were also invited to share their own "bra-blems" via a wall made of test tubes, which Soma's design team plans to use as they work on future bra innovations. Customers wrote their fit issues on a piece of branded paper, rolled it up and placed it in one of the test tubes.
To round out the design, wall decals made meaningful statements on female empowerment, and circular shadowboxes displayed the Bodify Bra, which Grabel noted was created after the “brand surveyed 1,500 of our loyal customers about the top fit issues they experience, and what was most important to them when shopping for their next bra.” A series of lab-inspired drawers gave female-identifying and nonbinary customers a chance to touch and feel the product before trying it on (in a welcoming fitting room donning mirrors that displayed the message “I’m not one size fits all").
The brand also encouraged attendees to share their experiences on social media with the hashtag #SomaStartsWithMe, and even had an in-house printer that created Polaroid-esque printouts that made for an Insta-worthy favor.
“Ahead of the pop-up launch, Soma hosted two days of media and influencer appointments, offering private previews and opportunities for content capturing,” Grabel added. “Soma’s VIP appointment days were fully booked, and through brand marketing initiatives and social media engagement, coupled with the heavily foot-trafficked SoHo shopping scene, Soma saw a positive turnout throughout the duration of the pop-up.”
Keep scrolling for a more intimate look at the experience.
Grabel noted that “Soma bra-fit experts worked directly with each customer to measure, fit and walk each woman through the brand’s revolutionary approach to bra shopping.”Photo: Courtesy of Soma Intimates
Shoppers were encouraged to share their "bra-blems" via the "test tube wall," which Soma's design team plans to use as they work on future bra innovations. Customers wrote their fit issues on branded paper, rolled it up and placed it in one of the test tubes.Photo: Courtesy of Soma Intimates
A vinyl graphic on the wall welcomed guests and introduced the theme of the pop up experience–to find a perfectly-fitting bra.Photo: Courtesy of Soma Intimates
“As with everything we do at Soma, women were the inspiration behind this pop-up experience. At Soma Intimates, products are created that combine quality, comfort and innovation, designed by women, for women,” Grabel said.Photo: Courtesy of Soma Intimates
