Shein pop-up pulls huge crowds at sold-out Ultra music festival

A Shein pop-up installation at the Ultra Music Festival in Melbourne attracted huge queues over the weekend, with fashion enthusiasts lining up to click pictures or receive a makeover from the brand.

The global online fashion and lifestyle retailer staged a pop-up at the Australian edition of Ultra Music Festival on the Gold Coast and Melbourne on April 12 and 13, respectively.

At the sold-out Melbourne festival, SmartCompany observed huge queues for the Shein installation, where attendees were able to try out statement outfits that could be shopped using QR codes. 

The pop-up featured a range of products from Shein’s previous collections, including its collaborations with designers Alice McCall, Tasha Whitmore, Jessie Renee Wynter, Jadee Vice, and Lilymaymac.  

This was the second time Shein had partnered with Ultra Music Festival, with a Shein spokesperson telling SmartCompany the partnership came about because both brands “strongly believe that fashion and music are both powerful forms of self-expression, and when blended, can create a symphony of personal style”. 

“We aim to seize this wonderful opportunity to engage and make a lasting impression on an audience that shares a passion for both music and fashion,” they added. 

The pop-up in Melbourne saw influencers and designers from different cities visit the installation at the festival to curate content for social media users, including transformation videos and a preview of collections, while the spokesperson said the brand’s SHEGLAM beauty makeover station was also “a big hit”. 

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive. We saw an impressive turnout, with customers eagerly interacting with fashion pieces from our SHEIN X collections, alongside products from our collaboration with Alice McCall, and many other talented designers”, they added.

“At Shein, we believe in the power of personal connections. We recognise the importance of continuously engaging with our Australian customers, and through our on-ground activations, we not only achieve this, but also deliver an immersive and enjoyable experience to all.”

Despite the apparent popularity of Shein’s retail pop-ups – including one in Brisbane in February – the ultra-fast fashion brand continues to receive backlash from users and sustainability campaigners over its influencer trips and transparency practices. 

“We are committed to keeping our customers continuously engaged with the latest on-trend fashion pieces and offerings,” the spokesperson said about the pop-up strategy. 

“We hope to collaborate with more local designers in the future and launch an exciting line-up of collections that resonate with our customers.”

Sold out festival a silver lining?

The patronage of the Shein pop-ups at the Ultra festival may also be linked to the success of the festival itself, which has proved to be a highlight in what is otherwise a highly tumultuous environment for music festivals. 

Recent findings from Creative Australia’s first Soundcheck report revealed more than one-third of Australian music festivals are losing money due to an exponential increase in operational costs, including public liability insurance costs. 

Most recently, regional touring festival Groovin’ The Moo announced its cancellation only eight days after placing tickets on sale, citing low demand.

It followed a series of similar cancellations, including the 2023 edition of Falls Festival, ValleyWays, Coastal Jam and Vintage Vibes, and the “pausing” of Hobart’s iconic Dark Mofo for 2024.

The Ultra Music Festival, on the other hand, was completely sold out and potential attendees were reportedly adding their names to waitlists to get their hands on a ticket. 

The festival saw headline performances from multi-award-winning artists, including multi-platinum artist Zedd, A State of Trance boss Armin van Buuren, global party-starter Steve Aoki, hardstyle favourites Darren Styles and Brennan Heart and more.