Originally Published: July 25, 2024 at 9:05 p.m.

Among the activations set to take place around town during San Diego Comic-Con is a pop-up of The Bear, the Emmy-winning, FX-produced hit television show that gives a no-holds-barred insider’s look at the culinary industry.

Season 3, which dropped on Hulu in June, follows Carmy, Sydney, and crew in and out of The Bear’s namesake fine-dining restaurant, whose interior has been recreated for the pop-up, located on the lawn across from the Hilton Bayfront downtown alongside a cluster of other pop-ups and photo ops from FX shows like What We Do In the Shadows and American Horror Story. Running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 25, and continuing through Sunday, July 28, the interactive pop-up is giving away a chef’s menu special — aka exclusive merchandise — that will change daily.

The pop-up restaurant, decorated with photos from the show, features a dining counter where the staff presents fans with a silver cloche, lifting the dome to reveal the day’s merch item. Thursday’s is a branded apron, available while supplies last.

The pop-up’s hours of operation through the weekend are:

• Thursday, July 25, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Friday, July 26, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Saturday, July 27, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Sunday, July 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is free, although attendees must be at least 18 years of age to participate.

Ashley Eckstein earned her fan cred as the voice of Jedi padawan Asoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but she earned her business chops as founder of the groundbreaking fashion brand Her Universe. Though she sold her company to Hot Topic in 2016 and Eckstein has stepped away from day-to-day management of the business, she is still a force to be reckoned with in the world of fandom.

Eckstein will host the 10^th annual Her Universe Fashion Show at San Diego Comic Con on Thursday, July 25, 6pm at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. The event, which features 25 aspiring designers showing off looks to compete for an opportunity to design a line for Her Universe, has become a very hot ticket at the world’s largest pop culture convention. This year’s winner will be selected by an expert panel of judges, including the 2023 Her Universe Fashion Show winning designers Rachel Petterson and Raeven K; Robin Motts, SVP Hot Topic Merchandising; Vivienne Medrano, Creator of Prime Video’s Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss; and VP of Barbie Product Design at Mattel, Robert Best.

I had a chance to speak with Eckstein in a phone interview earlier this month. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

ROB SALKOWITZ: How have things been since Hot Topic took over the brand?

ASHLEY ECKSTEIN: Well, I continued to run the business for Hot Topic up until 2020, around the start of the pandemic, but as a proud parent, I feel like I sent my baby off to college. So I continue to support it but don’t oversee the operations. We’re a private company so I can’t share numbers, but I can say that Her Universe is bigger than ever. They’re in Hot Topic stores globally, in Disney stores and parks, and many other locations worldwide.

RS: Her Universe initially made a splash because not many companies doing licensed apparel made clothing specifically for women, despite the huge demand. How has that evolved?

AE: We were just women’s fashion before, but now we have a sub brand called Our Universe, with menswear, unisex, designs for kids and babies, and accessories. It’s grown quite a bit.

RS: When you started in the early 2010s, the idea of a woman-owned company catering to women in the fan culture area was seen as a novelty. Now it is big business. How would you say the space has evolved?

AE: When we started the company, there was no competition, and we had a lot of doubters. They wondered how we were every going to get money. A lot of people told me, “good luck, little girl.” Within the first couple of years, we were a multi-million dollar business, so we definitely opened eyes pretty quickly. I also think entertainment companies saw the buying power of women. When Disney came out with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the lead character was Rae, I think that put a lot of attention into the space.

I remember sitting in a licensing summit meeting back when I was CEO, and some licensors – I can’t give you the specific names – estimated that they were leaving over $1 billion on the table by not catering to women and girls. How quickly their eyes were opened!

RS: Manga, anime and webtoons are also bringing a lot of young women into fandom. Is that something the company is looking at?

AE: Absolutely, Her Universe has definitely been going into anime properties, especially being aligned with a company like Hot Topic. The thing is, female fans were always there. It’s not something where they are all of a sudden coming to the table. They just weren’t being catered to. And now they feel welcomed into the space, and I think that’s the biggest difference.

RS: You’re celebrating the 10^th year of the Fashion Show at SDCC this year. Anything new and cool for fans to expect?

AE: Mattel is our sponsor for this year and they’ve allowed me to go back to my childhood as a giant fan of Barbie. I still am, to this day. Plus some of their other properties like Pocket Polly and Uno. So I am getting to play with some of my favorite brands. You know, in year ten, it’s going to be special. My looks are always a surprise. But I’m getting to do something that’s been a dream of mine since 2017 and has not been done much in fashion. It will definitely be shocking to some people. We’ve amassed quite a team and you’re not going to want to miss it.

RS: Finally, what new projects have you been up to?

AE: I’m very excited that I’m creating, executive-producing and starring in my own sci-fi audio drama project for Disney. That’s giving me the opportunity to create my own fantasy project. It’s all original, not a spinoff or part of any existing franchise. I’m very excited to apply everything I’ve learned in the space. There’s definitely going to be merchandise and other fun things for fans. I’m pouring my heart and soul into it!