Tyra Banks is opening an attraction called Modelland at Santa Monica Place.
Banks, a supermodel and television host, told Variety Tuesday that she is launching a ticketed retail and dining experience at the downtown Santa Monica mall in late 2019. It will be the flagship location of what she is planning to expand as a global chain.
The 21,000 square foot space will be spread over two stories and feature a large gold sculpture of a head facing 4th Street. The second level of Modelland’s storefront will be wrapped in gold metal panels that lie flat against the facade and then mold into a head projecting from the building.
“The scale of this element is intended to become a dynamic beacon to the plaza on 4th Street and pedestrians, while bringing vitality to the adjacent public space,” City of Santa Monica staff wrote in a report on the project.
The space was previously occupied by pop-up museum Candytopia for four months in early 2018. Modelland will have much in common with the pop-up – it will also sell tickets and emphasize social media as part of the experience – but Banks said she intends for the location to be permanent.
While Banks did not reveal many specific details about Modelland in her interview with Variety, she said it would contain a restaurant and a retail experience.
“Modelland is going to be a place where the modeling world meets fantasy, meets entertainment, meets technology, meets retail, meets dining, meets … your fiercest best self you could ever imagine,” she said.
The City’s Architectural Review Board reviewed Modelland’s design proposal on Monday and stipulated that the gold head should be smaller and the lights illuminating the head be dimmer.
madeleine@smdp.com
