La Sportiva, Boulder, Colorado

ITALIAN MOUNTAIN GEAR and apparel brand La Sportiva planted its first U.S. flagship in Boulder, Colo., a city surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, recognized as a haven for hiking, climbing and other outdoor adventures. For the family-owned brand, which has created its wares in the foothills of Italy’s Dolomite Mountain range for more than 90 years, Boulder was an obvious choice.

“La Sportiva aimed to create a space that embodied its deep-rooted passion for mountain sports and its Italian heritage,” says Nicole Gunderson, Principal and Strategy Director at experience agency Porter Design Build (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.), which brought the 4410-square-foot space to life. “The store’s design reflects this by incorporating elements that resonate with both the brand’s history and the local outdoor community of Boulder.”

this image: Materials utilized in La Sportiva’s Boulder, Colo., flagship include Sandstone flooring and locally sourced beetle kill pine for the fixturing and millwork.

Located inside a former bank building, La Sportiva entices passersby with bold structural beams colored in its signature yellow. Sandstone flooring – a nod to the nearby Flatirons – runs underfoot, while beetle kill pine, wood harvested from local pine trees killed by the mountain pine beetle and known for its unique color variations, was used for fixturing and millwork. An existing steel bank vault could not be removed, so Gunderson and her team worked to transform it to resemble a “rifugio bivacco,” a high-altitude alpine shelter in the Dolomites for skiers, hikers and climbers. It houses La Sportiva’s mountain hiking footwear and features a rifugio’s customary metal siding accents and red hue.

“Upon entering, shoppers should feel a sense of adventure and connection to the mountain sports community,” Gunderson says, “as well as a welcoming and engaging environment that encourages exploration of the brand’s offerings.”

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