Making Strides

CURRENCY FLUCTUATIONS, INFLATION and oversaturation in the North American market – it’s been no walk in the park for athletic brands. Stymied but not sidelined, brands keep tinkering not only on new product, but also with new stores and fixtures from which to sell.

THIS PAGE: Inspired by the brand’s roots, the FILA Fusion store in Beijing uses fixtures that emulate classic Italian architecture, such as porticoes, bugnato walls and marble columns.

In a bustling corner of Beijing, FILA Fusion’s concept store showcases the brand’s evolution from a small textile shop in Biella, Italy, to a global icon. Today, FILA sells not only athletic shoes but a line of apparel and accessories for a variety of sports. The exuberant 1830-square-foot Beijing store, designed by Q&A Studio (Shanghai), is inspired by the concept of a Roman domus where statues transform into dynamic mannequins while columns and fragments of ruins morph into merchandise fixtures and displayers.

“One request from the client was central displays must be flexible and easy to reconfigure according to each season’s products,” says Q&A Studio Principal Michele Armando.

PHOTO: SETH POWERS, SHANGHAI

The store uses fixed wall displays for footwear in addition to wall systems with adjustable hang-bars that can be adapted or completely removed to suit store needs, such as events or presentations; mobile central units can be rolled off the floor to accommodate gatherings. Overhead, a dramatic, blue ceiling truss, recalling porticoes, lends a classic architectural touch to its industrial vibe. As visitors explore the store, they find tactile rustic references, from the cobblestone floors to the bugnato wall treatments.

Half a world away in Seattle is a design-180 from the FILA store. Likelihood is a Seattle-based specialty store (founded in 2015) that carries footwear, sneakers, apparel and accessories. A second 2500-square-foot store (opened recently in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood) is a light-filled, bright white box with concrete columns and floors.

Sole Savers

Industry experts estimate the global athletic footwear market at around $128 billion and will grow steadily over the next five years, according to Footwear News. The industry trade also suggests that customer demand for footwear with improved performance features, better construction and improved fit will drive the market.

One to watch is Aetrex Inc. (Teaneck, N.J.), a 70-year-old, family-owned footwear brand that is known for its comfortable shoes and orthotics. It employs an in-house technology development team that has grown to include experts in software coding, AI , computer vision, 3-D printing, optical and electrical engineers, among others.

PHOTO: AETREX; DESIGNED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH VCI/ROSE DISPLAYS

Since 2002, Aetrex has placed some 12,000 scanners worldwide and has performed more than 50 million unique foot scans. That information has helped Aetrex evolve its footwear and orthotics to provide maximum comfort, support and a better overall fit and to provide alignment, minimize over-pronation and help prevent common conditions such as plantar fasciitis, arch pain and metatarsalgia.

Its state-of-the-art foot scanning devices also measure feet and determine foot type and pressure points. The range features an all-in-one touchscreen computer housed in a high-tech yet approachable unit, making the foot scanner inviting to customers and can be operated by store personnel.

“Aetrex’s retail displays are defined by modernity, simplicity and sophistication,” says Aetrex’s Ayelet Aviv, VP of Creative. The goal for the displays is to serve as an immersive brand experience that reflects the essence of the Aetrex brand “while providing customers with a visually compelling and informative journey in the retail space.”

PHOTO: KEVIN SCOTT, NEW YORK/SEATTLE

The owners’ passion for men’s footwear, Seattle culture and using the store as a community platform guided the design team. “The ambition and activity around community is in their DNA,” says Mike Mora, Principal and Co-Founder of Heliotrope Architects (Seattle), “so they needed the newer, bigger space to take it to the next level.”

At twice the size of its first location in Capitol Hill, the store’s focal is the permanent “stadium” shoe display (the original store has a smaller version), which was recently used as seating for an in-store fashion show. “The client invested in making the stadium sturdy enough to hold 100 people,” says Mora.

PHOTO: KEVIN SCOTT, NEW YORK/SEATTLE

Once an event ends, displayed footwear is easily reset and the space regains its art gallery vibe. “Shoes can’t be displayed in pairs due to security reasons,” says Mora, “but there’s actually a deeper rationale, and that’s the desire to display shoes as art pieces. These shoes are designed by some of the top creatives in the world, so we wanted to treat them in a way to reflect their stature.”