Hasta La Ideas

Feb 24

Back to 1948: Nike’s New London Store

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Last Friday, CR was invited back to 1948 – a new Nike store located under a railway arch in London’s Shoreditch. We found that what was merely a “pop-up store” last time we visited in August last year is now a rather groovy, permanent retail space, cleverly designed by brothers Oscar and Ben Wilson (aka The Wilson Brothers), for the brand to showcase and sell future Nike Sportswear (NSW) collections and extra special Tier Zero products…

Detail of the Nike GRIND recycled rubber floor

The Wilson Brothers’ new look retail space features a rubber Nike Grind floor made from recycled trainers (approx 15,000 pairs were recycled to floor the space), specially designed and manufactured modular furniture on wheels that can be arranged by shop staff on a whim, and the interior is lit by an impressively huge 6 x 8 metre, dimmer-controlled neon football pitch installation hung from the ceiling.

The markings on the floor are based on local running routes

Here’s a Quicktime that shows how the modular furniture devised by the Wilson brothers can be moved and arranged differently in the space:

As well as the retail space, which will also double up as a gallery, Nike Sportswear has a spanky new magazine also called 1948, edited by Acyde and art directed by An Art Service. The first issue is a celebration of the store’s location in the East End of London and of some of the young and talented creatives that Nike Sportswear is currently working with. There are interviews with the likes of The Wilson Brothers, ex Creative Future, Kate Moross, Ben Drury and Dizzy Rascal. Here are some shots of the very first issue, available free in 1948.