G-DRAGON X LINE FRIENDS Collab ‘ZO&FRIENDS’ Pop-Up Sells Out Worldwide

It was 5:50 am when Belle* arrived in front of the LINE FRIENDS SQUARE at Universal CityWalk Hollywood. There were about five to ten people already there since 5:30 am. Fans from all over the world were eagerly awaiting the opportunity to be the first to purchase from the ZO&FRIENDS collection, a collaboration between G-DRAGON, IPX, and LINE FRIENDS.

Inspired by his real-life cat Princess Zoa, G-DRAGON created an animated version named ZOA and her best friend, A&NE, a daisy character representing his symbolic motif.

“It’s the only pop-up happening in the U.S.,” Belle said. “I’m a big fan of the character, ZOA. Its grumpy yet cute nature was what really got to me. When the first images of ZOA dropped, I knew I needed one. I didn’t want to take any chances and thought the line would be longer.”

The store doesn’t usually open until 11 am, but the staff made an exception for that morning and opened at 10:30. By the time of the opening, the line had stretched around the adjacent stores in the back. People were waiting in the warm weather just for the opportunity to purchase several of the exclusive items. Some of the items included three types of ZOA plushes – keyring, medium, and XL, an A&NE plush keyring, ZOA and A&NE rugs, plates, stickers, a scarf, and a reusable tote bag.

Unfortunately, the store was sent a limited quantity of the oversized items, like the medium and XL plush, which were the first to sell out. Tensions arose from the line as people realized they may not be able to purchase everything on their list. One young girl in the middle of the line broke down in tears when she heard the XL plush had sold out.

“This was the first unveiling of the IP at the ZO&FRIENDS 1st POP UP,” a LINE FRIENDS representative said in an email. “We are deeply grateful for the enthusiastic support from the very first lineup, and at the same time, we sincerely apologize for the limited quantity and rapid sell-out, which left some visitors disappointed despite making the trip to the store from afar. With the enthusiastic support, ZO&FRIENDS will continue to expand into more diverse opportunities for the IP, offering fans many ways to connect with ZO&FRIENDS across different channels.”

The line was cut off by 11:10 am, as more items were sold, making sure the store had enough for everyone who was already waiting. While many fans were shocked at the impact of the collaboration, Belle was not surprised.

As a fan of G-DRAGON since her youth, she knows she’s not alone in her love and excitement for his comeback. She, and many others in line, had planned to watch his concert in Los Angeles that very evening.

“[G-DRAGON] was blazing a trail for K-pop in the U.S. the way no one else was at the time,” she says. “K-pop wasn’t popular or mainstream, so I was teased for liking K-pop. I didn’t really show off my fandom the way people so casually do now, but GD and BIGBANG made it cool and allowed me to talk about it to an extent. He’s always been an icon.”

The LINE FRIENDS SQUARE isn’t planning to restock the items sold, but plans on making the new products from ZO&FRIENDS more available for fans to enjoy. They said, “Moving forward, we are also preparing to make products available through our official LINE FRIENDS SQUARE online store as well, and we look forward to bringing fans even more opportunities to enjoy ZO&FRIENDS.”

The pop-ups in Asia, which included Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Taipei, and Tokyo, drew massive lines and also sold out on the same day of release.

If LINE FRIENDS SQUARE decides to sell more ZO&FRIENDS items, many can expect those long lines to form again. Belle says she plans on being there if they drop new items for the cat.

“For ZOA, 100%,” she shares. “Really too cute to deny a place in my home.”

Official sales numbers have not been released yet.

For more information on ZO&FRIENDS, fans can follow the Instagram page for more updates.

* name change for anonymity