Rhode pop-up in London28 Images
Picture this scene: it’s 6am and you’re getting ready for the day. Not for work, but to travel to London and stand in a queue for seven hours (in the rain, no less) to guarantee you access to Rhode’s pop-up. A small, aesthetically pleasing store nestled in the affluent streets of London’s Belgravia, the walls of the pop-up are lined with Rhode’s latest launches – rows upon rows of juicy lip tints and new phone cases sit under bright white lights designed to make everything look good for TikTok. You might get a viral video out of it and, even if you don’t, your new Rhode phone case will have you envied by all who’re in the know.
For fans of Rhode – Hailey Bieber’s skincare brand – this day was an actual reality when the first London-based pop-up, open for four days, hit our streets to much furore. At the press preview the night before opening day, I marvelled at its sleek interior and space-like aesthetic, picked up a fall lip case in “raspberry jelly” and was on my way. Nice, I thought. Cute.
What I didn’t think, though, was that it was worth queuing seven hours for. Then I saw the onslaught of viral TikToks trickling into my feed. With each video that showed hundreds of young girls standing in line came with it a slew of bewildered comments. Why were they so willing to queue for an entire day to shop products that can easily be bought online? Was it for social media clout? Are the products – or even the act of queueing itself – some kind of status symbol? I have to admit, I do feel cool when out and about with my Rhode lip case and people have indeed commented on it. But was it worth seven hours of standing outside in the cold? For some people, it was.
Below, four shoppers tell their experiences of the Rhode pop-up, sharing why they went, whether it was worth it, and how it made them feel.
Chantelle, 28
“I was up at 5am and arrived at 6.55am for the 11am opening, and I was in line for at least four hours. The experience was worth it for the excitement of being there in person to have a touch and feel of the products – it was my first time buying so I wanted to try it beforehand. I have to admit that it was definitely all the social media hype that made me want to go. I saw TikToks and I did want to create content of my own. I was hoping to film something that would go viral.
“I quite enjoy going to pop-ups in London, I really enjoy chasing the next new and trending thing. It was a cute and fun experience; they were giving out cinnamon buns, coffees, hot chocolates, heat packs, water and even umbrellas to people in the queue. It wasn’t just about waiting in line, it was about the extra free stuff and how they took care of us. The queue was an experience. It was a whole experience from start to end – an experience to tell and talk about. I feel like I managed to be part of such an exclusive event that was the talk of the town. I definitely feel like a beauty insider – people want to know how it was.”
Essenine*, 27
“Rhode isn’t just a brand that sells lip balms, it’s selling a kind of lifestyle. Yeah, I might not live like Hailey Bieber, but it’s like this event meant I could have just a little bit of what she has, you know? Hailey is so sophisticated and she has this ‘cool girl’ aesthetic… going to the store made me feel a bit like I’m also a sophisticated cool girl. Like I’m in on something that’s a bit hard to get.
“Also, there was a real sense of community and camaraderie in the queue. We were all just girlies enjoying our girlhood, together.”
Jacinta, 20
“I really like Hailey Bieber and she does play a big role in why I like and covet Rhode. I want to look like her. I want to mimic her classy and elegant fashion and make-up sense. I arrived at the pop-up at 9.30am not knowing how long I was actually going to be in line, but knowing that the new limited edition autumn collection was inside kept me motivated. I was really excited to try the new shades of the phone cases and lip treatments. In a way, it felt like a really luxurious experience to be able to access these not-yet-released products that no-one else had yet. To be honest, at one point I was going to leave, but the girls around me in the queue were like, ‘No don’t, you’ve waited this long! You might as well wait a little longer now.’
“I ended up feeling really silly queueing up in the rain and cold for things that will eventually be online, but I would say that Rhode products are seen as a status symbol. It’s like if I have and use this product, not only do I know about this brand – because not everyone has heard of it, crazily enough, people are living under rocks – but it’s quite cool. I’ve seen so many influencers with these products… you almost feel like you’re a part of something bigger. It’s like, ‘Oh, I have this same lip gloss as you so I can have the same glossy look and be cool, too.’ You’re buying into a persona. It’s like, if I buy this then I’m closer to achieving this aspirational clean girl aesthetic.
“Social media impacted my decision to attend, for sure. There were a lot of people posting about the products and the [shopping] bags. I just thought it looked so pretty and I wanted to see it for myself in real life. I saw people queueing for hours and I thought: I want to be a part of this movement. I also wanted to capture some content for myself and to write about my experience [for my university’s student publication]. I wanted people to have a look at this exclusive insight that I had of this exclusive event that takes a lot of effort to get into. If I didn’t go and then I saw all the content online I’d be so full of regret, thinking I missed out on an opportunity. But then the reality is that it wasn’t as glamorous as I thought it would be in real life.”
San, 25
“I arrived in the queue at half eight in the morning and I eventually got in at half one, so I queued for five hours. Initially I thought it would be worth queuing up just because we don’t have a stand-alone store in the UK – we can only access Rhode online, so I thought it would be nice to check out the products in person. I prefer seeing products in person before buying online, so that’s why I wanted to go. That, and then obviously the day-long experience that came along with it.
“I actually went with a list of things I wanted to buy but I did end up buying a bit more. In the end I would say the experience was worth it – it was a nice day out and something different to do with my weekend. It was just one day out of the whole year where I had to queue for five hours, so I didn’t really mind that, it wasn’t a big deal to me.
“I personally wouldn’t say [Rhode products] are a status symbol amongst my friendship groups, I’m just quite a beauty and skincare junkie. My thoughts on Hailey Bieber herself are indifferent. I do like her, it’s not like I’m obsessed with her. I’d say a part of me liking Rhode is a lot to do with her but not fully because of her. Maybe if she wasn’t associated with Rhode I wouldn’t look into the brand, but at the end of the day I am into skincare so I think I would have paid attention [without her].”
*Names have been changed and responses have been edited for clarity.