Shopping in style takes on new meaning within innovative brick-and-mortar stores. Here, we highlight six spaces from around the globe that offer comprehensive, out-of-the-box experiences for their clientele.

Kith Paris

Kith founder Ronnie Fieg partnered once again with New York-based firm Snarkitecture on the streetwear brand’s maiden European location, unveiled in the heart of the Golden Triangle in Paris earlier this year. The sprawling 16,000-square-foot space embraces “the classical features of what Paris is and what makes the city amazing, but also adds a layer of complexity or simplicity,” says Snarkitecture associate Alexander Buckeridge.

Located in a historic building, signatures like plaster cast sneakers suspended from the barrel-vaulted ceilings of the entryway and a chandelier made from Nike sneakers greet customers alongside restored Carrara marble staircases inspired by the city’s stately Haussmann vernacular. “We brought in that scale, that personality of Paris,” Buckeridge says. “It was familiar to the locals, but also unfamiliar.”

Lined with walnut panels and brass racks, the men’s section is anchored by large display cases, while the women’s is clad with custom walnut shelves and linked to a mirrored space dressed with multicolored herringbone marble floors. Sanctuaries like the polished footwear room on the mezzanine or the sleek incubation gallery reimagine the shopping experience as a holy rite for sneakerheads. The Paris flagship is also home to Sadelle’s, the famed New York eatery’s first international location, nestled below a glass canopy in the onsite courtyard. “That’s the center of the scheme,” Buckeridge notes. “It’s this new programmatic element that activates the entire project.” A green wall and Carrara floors accent the restaurant and Kith Treats, a parlor-style concept punctuated by stainless steel and a wall of cereal canisters. “Snarkitecture and Kith developed a visual identity together,” he adds. “There’s respect in our ability, and [Feig’s], on [always] finding the right solution.”

Soldout

Soldout, the limited-edition sneakers concept from South Korea ecommerce giant Musinsa, borrowed design cues from wineries for a more theatrical approach. Located in the Seongdong-gu section of Seoul, local practice WGNB “imagined the shoes being cased and preserved in anti-bacteria and anti-odor containers, something like a [wine] refrigerator,” says WGNB founder and director Jonghwan Beak. Across more than 4,800 square feet, the stripped-back “shoes-nary” comprises an examination room where shoppers can verify the authenticity of each sneaker along with a packaging room and an exhibition space for sneakerheads to engage with the designs. The goal, Beak says, is to “elevate the idea of sneakers,” turning an everyday item into a lifestyle.

Ferrari

Located adjacent to the sports car maker’s factory and restaurant in Maranello, Italy, Ferrari’s revamped flagship retail space from London-based studio Sybarite demonstrates a refreshed visual identity that celebrates the brand’s emergence as a multifaceted lifestyle company. “It delivers newness while being firmly grounded in its core references—the essential elements that make up the DNA of Ferrari,” says Sybarite cofounder Simon Mitchell. “These are reimagined to captivate a contemporary customer.” A terracotta colonnade welcomes visitors, echoing the traditional color of rooftops in the Italian city of Modena and the domes of the country’s historic architecture. Red shields offer a glimpse into the interior, where a curved motif recalls F1 circuits and cars racing the tracks. Sleek dressing rooms also transport shoppers to the cockpit of a Ferrari with yellow alcantara walls, brushed aluminum doors, and beige leather seating. The signature red and yellow logo colors pop against the austere backdrop, where locally sourced clay “subtly links Italy and Ferrari as synonymous with each other,” says Mitchell.

Sweet July

Entrepreneur, actress, cookbook author, and TV personality Ayesha Curry expanded her résumé last year with the launch of the quarterly lifestyle magazine Sweet July. Its content now bursts off the page at its namesake flagship boutique in Oakland, California’s Uptown neighborhood. Also home to a café, the dynamic retail space serves as a platform to highlight Black-owned brands with an emphasis on products from companies with female founders.

Curry enlisted Christine Lin, principal and owner of San Francisco-based Form + Field to weave a residential-style warmth into Sweet July’s lofty interiors. Soft, muted tones complement warm oak and walnut, while custom pleated pendants made from acoustic felt descend from the ceiling. To further convey the design’s residential quality, Lin and Curry showcase products across a series of kitchen, dining, and living room vignettes. “The store has a high-end feel to it with the style and curation, but because of the warmth of the materials, it doesn’t feel cold or inaccessible,” Lin says.

Bay Area artists also contributed to Sweet July’s localized flair, including mixed media portraits of Black women by Micheal J Lopez adorning one wall and an abstract floor-to-ceiling mural of a Lignum Vitae plant by Curry’s brother, Jaz Alexander, on another. “Our store is all about lifting up and shining a spotlight on a diverse array of entrepreneurs and helping tell their stories,” Curry says. “My hope is that Sweet July is a beautiful source of inspiration that nourishes and celebrates our community.”

White Rabbit

A dramatic dose of futurism awaits shoppers at the White Rabbit flagship in Shanghai. Housed within the JKS Arts and Cultural Center, the candy maker’s new outpost “not only preserves the essence of the [60-year-old] brand, but also reflects its attitude of continuous breakthrough,” says Li Xiang, principal of locally based design firm X+Living. “Instead of following the layout of traditional retail store designs, we used large artistic installations and precise color control to present customers with an immersive spatial experience.” Inside the 2,150-square-foot space, spherical lighting casts an irregular pattern of halos across White Rabbit’s polished blue terrazzo floors, which serves its surrealist ambiance. Inspired by candy production, sculptural 3D-printed fixtures recall flowing milk with a sinuous, pleated form that functions as flexible shelving for products. Mirrored ceilings enlarge the space and amplify the brand’s red, white, and blue color story into a kaleidoscopic effect. Xiang adds: “We hope when customers walk in, they are not only impressed by the artistic installations but can also feel the spirit of the brand.”

Hoff Sneakers

Clean lines, pure geometry, and luxe materiality are an artful backdrop for Hoff Sneaker’s first physical storefront, located along Madrid’s Calle de Velazquez. The brand’s unisex shoes “are the protagonists in the store,” while a palette of pink, gray, and green “conveys a Zen-like sense of spatial harmony,” says Alberto Gobbino Ciszak, cofounder of local studio Ciszak Dalmas Design. At just under 500 square feet, the compact layout lends itself to an intimate shopping experience. Sneakers are laid out amid various sculptural displays, while bespoke furnishings, including a tweed bouclé sofa, Mountbatten Pink cement walls, hints of Yves Klein blue, and oversized mirrors contrast the “colorful and urban image of the products,” Ciszak says. Then there are the green Brazilian Pinta Verde marble display platforms, handmade resin floors, and two central tables made from Sepulveda stone, a traditional Spanish material, which further play into the earthy palette.

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