Custom Preserved Moss and Living Walls for Ralph Lauren Polo Earth

Polo Ralph Lauren signage mounted on a custom preserved moss wall inside the Polo Earth pop-up store

Industry

Retail & Hospitality

Challenge

Ralph Lauren wanted a forest in the middle of New York City for its Polo Earth fragrance pop-up in Nolita, inspired by the Catskills. The store was tight, temporary and exposed at the storefront to harsh early spring weather.

Results

A living wall covered the full storefront and drew people in from across the block. Inside, preserved moss, live plants and florals surrounded customers as they tried the fragrance, and the space was widely photographed and shared under #PoloEarth.

Key Product

Custom Preserved Moss Walls, Custom Living Walls

Exterior of the Ralph Lauren pop-up store in Nolita with a living wall and moss wall across the storefront

Ralph Lauren Polo Earth Pop-Up, New York City

This project was a pop-up store in Nolita, New York City, created for the launch of Ralph Lauren's Polo Earth fragrance. The brief was a forest in the city, inspired by the forests of the Catskills in Upstate New York.

The Challenge

Ralph Lauren was launching its Polo Earth fragrance with a pop-up store in Nolita, New York City, and the brief was to build a forest inside the city. The reference was the woodland of the Catskills in Upstate New York. Visitors were to step through a "portal", leave the street behind and experience the new cologne surrounded by green.

That ambition came with practical limits. The interior was tight, which left little room to fabricate on site. The store was temporary, so the client did not want planting that brought a maintenance burden with it. And the design had to continue out onto the storefront, where live plants would face New York's harsh early spring weather on an otherwise hard city block.

Exterior of the Ralph Lauren pop-up store in Nolita with a living wall and moss wall across the storefront

The Solution

Custom preserved moss walls, built off site

We designed the interior around custom preserved moss walls. The moss is sourced in the Northwest, then preserved and dyed. We built large panels off site in Brooklyn and shipped them to the store, which kept installation smooth and simple in the tight space.

Large preserved moss panels in production off site before shipping to the store

The panels hang on French cleats, so the finished surface reads as seamless and natural. On several panels we finished the moss with a live edge, letting it transition into the adjoining walls without a harsh or unnatural line.

Signage on a preserved moss wall with a live edge that fades into a brick wall

Live plants integrated into the moss

To achieve the overgrown, organic look the client wanted, we incorporated live plants directly into the moss walls. A wicking system kept those plants watered for the full duration of the pop-up. Floral arrangements were worked into the moss as well, adding depth and interest.

Clothing display inside the Ralph Lauren pop-up store with a preserved moss wall behind it

A living wall across the storefront

To set the mood before anyone reached the door, the interior design extended outside. A living wall covered the entire front of the store. We planted the modular system off site, so installation on the street was easy and fast, and the system made it simple to include the signage the design depended on. Ferns led the exterior planting, caught the attention of passersby and drew customers into the store.

Living wall planted with ferns on the exterior of the Ralph Lauren pop-up store in New York

The Results

The storefront living wall was visible from everywhere on the block. Inside, moss, live plants and florals surrounded customers as they experienced the fragrance, which is exactly what the brief asked for: full immersion in the idea behind the product.

The preserved moss needed no maintenance once installed. That suited a temporary store and spared the client the upkeep a planted interior would normally bring.

The space also worked as a backdrop for the launch itself. It was used to promote the product, and customers took photos and shared them online under #PoloEarth.