These 4 shoe stores are flipping the footwear shopping experience head over heels

From innovation in merchandising to new retail modes altogether, these four footwear stores are reimagining the shoe shopping experience.

Repair-focused retail drives in-store circularity

Sneaker brand Veja opened its repair-focused concept, the Veja General Store in Paris’ 10th arrondissement. Designed in collaboration with French architect Alors Studio, the space acts as a cobbler and tailor supporting the repair of shoes and clothes regardless of their brand of origin. The 100-sq-m space has an open wood and glass façade that reveals the process, showcasing the repair machinery. Concrete work tables where two cobblers and a tailor work on shoes and clothes, punctuate the space. Gridded wooden shelves store the in-progress repairs and are also used for arranging a retail area of clothes, accessories and cleaning and shoe-cleaning supplies. The General Store goes beyond Veja’s traditional retail strategy of merely selling new shoes by transitioning to an almost entirely repair-based store model. The decision to make the repair function central to the store’s design was a deliberate one, making the endeavour as much an exercise in branding as it is about leaning into the circular fashion market, which prioritizes the reuse, repair and recycling of items instead of constant consumption.

Read more here.

Materiality localizes the shopping experience

Estudio Além designed the retail space for Sportino in Porto, Portugal, using cork as the main material. It was selected because of its sustainability and the fact that it’s endemic to Portugal, a nod to local design traditions. A full glass façade reveals the 308-sq-m store’s mostly cork interiors. Expanded cork blocks were stacked with horizontal layers of wood fibre to form display shelves on the perimeter walls. A central, circular volume is also lined with cork displays. At the back of the store, another curved structure houses additional display space but is instead adorned in stainless steel. The metal surfacing is used in complement to the natural material, with stainless steel tubing forming hanger displays that punctuate the space. A practically mono-material approach was employed in the 3P Store, providing a neutral container for the products on display while still tapping into local design tradition. Contrary to the cookie-cutter approach that is often employed on the high street, the shoe and apparel store specializes its retail space with a highly tailored approach.

Read more here.

Strong brand identity generates buzz for temporary pop-up spaces

Birkenstock opened a three-month-long pop-up store on Cologne’s Ehrenstraße at the beginning of December, designed by Ad de Hond, Pieter Kool of Carbon Studio and John van Dorst of The Thirsty Fisherman. The 80-sq-m temporary retail space pays homage to the company’s visual identity through materiality and use of brand iconography; materials like cork and branding details are present throughout. Modular, cross-shaped display tables – a symbol used for the brand’s original logo – are also made of cork. Reference to brutalist architecture, which first inspired Karl Birkenstock to create functional shoes, is made through angular forms and simple materiality. Once seen as a super functional item, Birkenstock is having a major fashion moment through high-end fashion collaborations with labels like Jil Sander, Manolo Blahnik, Dior and Stussy in recent years. Pop-up stores, temporary in nature, are often designed to generate buzz to encourage high footfall in a short amount of time. The trio behind the store’s design leans into the essence of the brand through materiality and visual identity, two aspects that are especially of resonance to customers.

Read more here.

Immersive interiors create a sense of escapism

Amina Muaddi opened a new space in the London department store Harrods. Designed by Crosby Studios, it offers an escape from the real world. Entering the store – distinctly separate from the rest of Harrod’s – the visitor encounters a library of products resting on matte silver shelving wrapped around the space. Island displays are limited, and products are instead pushed outwards to the edges of the store, where they merge with the metallic architecture and become immersive elements. As a customer moves deeper into the store, the space is compressed by a raised floor, footstep clicks dampened by salmon-pink carpeting. A sudden intimacy is produced, and the visitor is guided towards a sunken ‘pool,’ where they can ‘hang out, try on shoes and meet with friends,’ Harry Nuriev, founder of Crosby Studios, says to FRAME. Taking advantage of Crosby Studios’ distinct phygital aesthetic, Amina Muaddi rejects the traditional glamour of Harrods and immerses its customers in a subversive, fictive world. This isn’t just a five-minute gimmick, however. By introducing seating and tables for casual socialization, Crosby Studios offers an element of comfort to the space, transforming visitors into guests who are likely to come back for more.

Read more here.