A life-sized cut-out of Harry Styles and Liam Payne was enough to make One Direction fan Mariana Freitas go weak at the knees.
The 13-year-old, still dressed in her school uniform, rushed into the One Direction World Store pop-up shop at The Dubai Mall with her mother and began shaking with excitement, almost as if the full-sized images of the members of Britain’s biggest boy band were real.
The pop-up shop, which tours the world selling exclusive One Direction concert merchandise, is only open for nine days and will close on Saturday. Organisers say fans are looking for some retail therapy and memorabilia they can flaunt at the band’s gig in Dubai on April 4, part of their On the Road Again 2015 tour.
The band make an estimated $67.5 million (Dh248m) from the sale of merchandise each year.
“They are perfect,” says Mariana, a pupil at Gems Metropole School in Dubai about the members of the band. “Their songs, the way they present themselves – it’s all perfect.”
After meticulously browsing all of the floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with 36 unique items – including hoodies, tote bags, T-shirts, iPhone covers, necklaces and key rings – she settles on a poster and a baby-blue T-shirt with images of all the band members – Styles, Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan – printed on it.
“I’m definitely going to the concert,” says Mariana. “I couldn’t get a ticket because they are sold out. Luckily my friend, who had a ticket, is travelling and I pleaded with her to give it to me. There is more than a month to go and I just can’t wait any more.”
When the organisers Done Events announced the 1D tour was coming to Dubai last year, all 30,000 tickets for their show at the Sevens Stadium sold out in record time. But shoppers who visit the pop-up shop have a chance to win one of five pairs of Diamond standing tickets, worth Dh1,000.
Andrew Hodson, the shop manager, says thousands of teenagers turned up at the shop when it opened on Friday.
“There were queues well past the aquarium that evening,” says Hodson. “Most of them were girls but, surprisingly, we’ve had many enthusiastic boys and adults walk in, too.
“The stuff you’ll find here is from their world tour, unlike the merchandise you’ll find in other stores. Right now, our fastest-selling item is a cut-out of Harry Styles.”
The store is fully stocked with black-and-white tops and hoodies with the band’s popular song titles and their images printed on them.
“Generally concertgoers prefer wearing black-and-white T-shirts, but what we’ve found here is that the blue ones are very popular,” says Hodson.
He says the “We Danced All Night to the Best Song Ever” shirts were flying off the shelves as well.
But perhaps the most popular section of the store is the signing wall at the front corner.
Six huge posters had already been covered with personal messages to the band from fans and a seventh was rapidly filling up on only the third day that the store had been open.
“I love you guys more than pizza and free Wi-Fi,” read one message. Laura Unt, 16, from Estonia, added: “I love you guys,” completing her message by drawing a heart next to it.
“I’m in Dubai on holiday and read about this pop-up store on Twitter, so I came down here,” she says.
“You can’t have a bigger fan than me,” she adds as she shows off a red iPhone case outlined with the band members’ faces. “I’ve been to their concert in London and will soon be flying to Finland with a group of friends for their concert there.”
The teenager says she was hooked by their music when she heard What Makes You Beautiful.
“They make me happy,” she says. “I remember when I first saw them live. I can’t even put it in words. All those people around me, all of us crying just watching them on stage. It was fantastic.”
Nadene Shaikh, 60, from Dubai, had her hands full of T-shirts, posters and a tote bag she had bought for her 12-year-old granddaughter in Pakistan.
“We were visiting Imaan last month and she sat me down to watch both their concert movies,” she says.
“She converted me into a fan, as well,” she adds with a laugh. “It just brings back childhood memories when we were like our children, listening to and obsessing over The Beatles.”
Peter Ly from Vietnam says he is a follower of the 1D fashions. “They are so cool,” says the 18-year-old, who bought three T-shirts. “I like the way Harry styles himself, the hair and outfit. I try to copy it.”
aahmed@thenational.ae
