Photo taken by Alena Castillo
K-pop sensation BTS brought a new pop-up store called “Monochrome” to the Philippines.
The “BTS Pop-Up: Monochrome” opened its doors to fans at the South Entertainment Mall in the SM Mall of Asia, Pasay from May 24 to June 30.
It succeeds the Monochrome pop-up that opened in Seongsu-dong, Seoul from April 26 to May 12.
Pop-up stores were also set up in Tokyo, Jakarta, Bangkok, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong.
The pop-up event is themed “memory clouds” or “clouds that are built both by BTS and ARMY (BTS’ fan club).”
The K-pop group introduced the concept of “memory clouds” during its fourth fan meeting “BTS 4th Muster Happily Ever After” in 2018.
Inside Monochrome
The offline pop-up store is designed with stations similar to a logistics center, including a conveyor belt and stacks of boxes that create a parcel-delivery ambiance.
It also featured a photo exhibit of the members’ never-before-seen portraits in black and white taken before they began their military service.
The Manila version also displayed its shipping invoice inside the store which contains details about the pop-up.
The store offered a diverse range of merchandise, such as canvas photos, photocards, sticker sets, bottles, bags, jewelry, shirts, and storage boxes.
The merch was also available for pre-order online via Weverse Shop.
Monochrome was first teased in April in the form of a video posted on BTS’ official X account. It also included a link to a delivery-themed website called “MNCR Logistics.”
The interactive site allows visitors to discover details about the pop-up store by completing several challenges by solving passcodes related to words and dates of importance to BTS. Hints are also provided while they track their shipment.
The boy band previously opened three pop-up stores in Manila: “Map of the Soul” (2021), “Space of BTS” (2022), and “In the Soop,” a joint pop-up with Seventeen (2022).
A BT21 pop-up store in collaboration with PLAY LINE FRIENDS was also launched in Manila in 2019.
Six members of BTS are currently fulfilling their mandatory military service. Jin completed his military service on June 12.
On the same day, the septet shared a group photo on X (formerly Twitter).
The group marked its 11th debut anniversary last June 13.
Jin held an in-person meet and greet event at the Jamsil Indoor Arena as part of BTS Festa, an annual festival to celebrate the band’s anniversary.
BTS is set to reconvene in 2025 when all of the members have completed their military duties.
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