From Lifestyle to Living: How Brands Are Creating Spaces You Can Belong To 

Lifestyle Becomes Living

Lifestyle has always been an important part of how brands connect with people. The idea of belonging to a shared mindset or aesthetic continues to shape how communities form around fashion, entertainment, and culture. While the concept itself isn’t new, there is a growing curiosity around how lifestyle can feel more tangible and immersive

Some brands are beginning to explore how their world might extend beyond traditional spaces, inviting people to spend time in it, interact with it, and experience it in ways that feel more personal and connected. 

In some corners of retail and culture, the idea of lifestyle is starting to take physical form. Spaces are being designed to host creativity, conversation, and shared experiences. People can gather, take part, or simply be present within a brand’s world. These spaces often elevate what might once have been a simple brand experience, turning it into something more layered and memorable. It feels less about aspiration and more about creating a community, an invitation to share an experience with others who share the same interests and outlook. This gentle evolution is opening new possibilities for how brands can connect, not through perfection or polish, but through presence, warmth, and participation. 

Wingstop UK: Flavours Party

Wingstop UK’s Flavours event offered a glimpse into how a food brand can move beyond product and into culture. Hosted at Village Underground in London, the evening brought together music, food, and community under one roof. The event featured live performances from artists including Chip, D Double E, and Cristale, alongside interactive games, giveaways, and, of course, plenty of wings. 

The space felt less like a branded party and more like a celebration of the people who shape the culture around it. Guests shared food, danced, and connected over a shared experience, reflecting how brands are beginning to create moments that go beyond what they sell. It was a reminder that community can grow from something as simple as a meal, made memorable through atmosphere, creativity, and collective energy. 

Trench

Gorillaz × Fortnite: House of Kong, London

The virtual band Gorillaz partnered with Fortnite to create House of Kong, an immersive pop-up experience at Hackney Bridge Gardens in London. Running alongside a wider exhibition, the space brought music, gaming, and art together in a way that felt unexpected and playful. Visitors could explore installations, join in live streams, listen to DJ sets, and see pieces of the Gorillaz world come to life. 

The atmosphere felt more like a gathering than a launch. Fans moved between performances, interactive zones, and digital elements, each part adding to the sense of being inside a living version of the band’s story. It captured the energy of how entertainment, gaming, and culture can blend in real time, creating a shared space that feels both familiar and completely new. 

Music Radar

From Moments to Spaces

Moments like these represent how brands are beginning to explore connections in more open and expressive ways. What once might have been a brief encounter with a product is becoming something people can experience together. These one-off events create energy and belonging, but they also raise the question of what could happen if that same feeling existed somewhere people could return to. Some brands have begun to take that idea further, shaping physical environments that hold space for community, creativity, and everyday interaction. Along with this, there seems to be a natural shift against usual practices that used to play a role in these situations. Further, alongside these problems, fans have spotted a shift towards these practices

Netflix House

A good example of taking entertainment one step further is Netflix House. Netflix is taking its storytelling beyond the screen with a new concept designed to bring its most popular shows to life. Opening this year, these spaces allow visitors to explore, play, shop, and eat within worlds inspired by the platform’s biggest titles. Guests might walk through Hawkins, test their nerve in a real-life Squid Game challenge, or enjoy a themed dining experience straight out of Emily in Paris. 

Every part of Netflix House has been designed to surprise and delight. Visitors can browse exclusive merchandise, explore interactive sets, and attend live events that immerse them fully in Netflix’s stories. The environment will evolve throughout the year to keep the experience fresh and dynamic. It feels like a natural next step for Netflix, turning entertainment into something tangible and social that fans can step into and share.  

Netflix House, Philadelphia

Adidas Originals: Club Originals 

Adidas Originals is building culture through creativity with its Club Originals programme. The initiative brings together art, fashion, music, and community under one roof, creating spaces that feel more like creative gatherings than product launches. Each event celebrates individuality and self-expression, two ideas that sit at the heart of the Originals’ identity. 

Visitors are encouraged to take part, whether by customising pieces, enjoying live performances, or connecting with local artists. The atmosphere feels inclusive and full of energy, with each edition shaped by the people who attend. Club Originals is a reminder that retail can still be a meeting point for culture, where people come together to create, share, and express themselves. 

Hypebeast

House of Vans: Mexico City

In Mexico City, House of Vans has become a home for creativity in its truest sense. The space brings together art, music, food, and skate culture in a way that feels deeply connected to the local community. Inside, there is a gallery, a recording studio, a performance venue, a cinema, a rooftop skate bowl, and a restaurant, all open to the public and free to use. 

The design feels raw and real, with murals by local artists, colourful installations, and a mix of textures that reflect the city’s energy. It is a space made for staying, learning, and sharing rather than passing through. Workshops, gigs, and film screenings run regularly, giving people a reason to return. House of Vans shows how a brand can build a genuine community by creating a space people truly want to spend time in.

Hypebeast

Dazed

Marketing That Lives Through Memory  

In addition to physical design and experience, these brand spaces serve another important purpose. They become marketing moments in their own right. When people attend, capture, share, and talk about an event or space, the brand gains visibility far beyond the store or activation itself. Paper tickets, long queues, and live gatherings are not just logistics; they are cultural signals that turn attendees into storytellers and generate organic buzz. As cultural commentator and studio friend, James Kirkham observes, these everyday details have become markers of belonging and memory. They create moments that people carry with them and often share, giving brands a form of free promotion that continues long after the event has ended. 

Creating Belonging Through Experience

Across retail and culture, there is a growing awareness of how shared interests can bring people together. When spaces are designed around community, they become more than physical environments, creating spaces where ideas, creativity, and connection can grow. People come to engage, collaborate, and spend time with others who share similar outlooks, and that sense of belonging shapes how they experience a brand. 

These kinds of spaces feel natural and inclusive. They encourage participation and make people part of the story, which in turn creates richer and more memorable brand experiences. It is this combination of community and creativity that continues to redefine how brands interact with the world around them.