Immersive video experiences invite shoppers to travel the South of France by hot air balloon in L’Occitane en Provence’s Toronto flagship.

For their Toronto renovation, L’Occitane wanted to reimagine the in-store experience and create the brand’s first ever immersive digital flagship. Creative agency School House reached out to Patten Studio to create two permanent, interactive installations through which shoppers could discover L’Occitane’s brand narrative.

At the front of the store, two eggshell-shaped “immersion pods” hang from the ceiling. Inside each pod, a wraparound projection display takes shoppers on a hot air balloon ride over Provence. Shoppers are shown the process by which L’Occitane harvests plants for use in its signature cosmetics and perfumes. Touchless interactivity allows shoppers to uncover additional behind-the-scenes stories about L’Occitane’s products.

The pod installations enlivened L’Occitane’s Yorkdale location, delighting visitors to the flagship. The Yorkdale location pioneered the brand’s “glocal” store concept strategy—later rolled out to L’Occitane store locations around the world. The store was selected as a finalist in the World Retail Awards in two separate categories: Best Customer Experience Initiative, and Outstanding Store Design.