adidas Just Gets It | adidas x Concepts

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Source: adidas and Concepts Create a Sneakerhead Storm with new store in Boston

I’m not going to mince words, I’ve been pushing hard to land a corporate job in the sneaker world. I’ve applied for a number of positions and I was building my platform on the fact that the big brands didn’t understand what it takes to actually compete in this shifting landscape. The big brands have been so fixated on snatching up real estate in the major cities and creating these omnichannel experience centers that it appeared they weren’t paying attention to the landscape of retail.

Last year I realized what brands like Saucony, Under Armour and ASICS needed was the ability to behave like small, bespoke, boutique, retail outlets and apply the sneakerhead concept to cities via shopping experiences that mimicked Burn Rubber, Flight Club, or Concepts and Bodega. My reason was simple, people are at a point where they care more about the experience of visiting a store vs the reason they visit the store. The reason anyone hits up a store is to buy stuff, but today this has shifted and sometimes people simply want to experience the store.

Series by Bodega: A New Way of Retailing | What Retail Can Learn From Bodega

Bodega understands this more than any other shops out there; at least that what I thought until I saw this adidas x Concepts shop. What adidas has done is personalize the experience of being a sneakerhead. While some analysts think sneakerheads are not important, this shop from adidas and Concepts shows that the Three Stripes realizes the importance of creating people who see kicks beyond just a pair to wear for a purpose. adidas realizes that the culture of sneakerheads is much bigger than teens. adidas is showing that sneaker culture is an experience akin to visiting an art gallery. You might not cop a work of art, but admiring and experiencing the art creates a feeling that can’t be attained by going to a big box like Foot Locker or Finish Line.

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Elsewhere in the minimalist, sparsely-designed, 1200 square foot space, sneaker enthusiasts can experience innovative, pinnacle product from the brand with the three stripes, including: sought-after YEEZY styles; footwear from adidas’ longstanding collaborations with designers including Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Stella McCartney and Kolor, among others. Created with unique design elements to inspire Boston’s streetwear community, adidas x Concepts invites fans to make discoveries, build intimate connections with adidas styles, and gain a unique experience that unites elements of design, music, art and architecture—all filtered through Concepts’ signature aesthetic.

adidas x Concepts Design Elements –

From the street, a descending staircase leads consumers down to the adidas x Concepts storefront. A unique, sonic experience creates a seamless but distinct transition from the outside world into the store, while, illuminated, raw metal screen doors project a custom designed, Celtic, Boston-inspired pattern that interprets the union of the adidas and Concepts logos—exclusive to this location.

Inside, shoppers are greeted by a series of increasingly narrowing sheet-glass archways—each illuminated along their edges—to create a uniform, glowing effect that draws customers further into the boutique. This funnel-like progression of glass and lighting design creates a cloister-like passage, dividing the shop-floor into different areas. The resulting alcoves create distinct spaces, each housing separate, merchandised assortments and collections from across the adidas brand, presenting footwear and apparel designs as if floating in mid-air.

As streetwear fans continue to explore the adidas x Concepts boutique, they arrive at the final back area, a celebratory space for the adidas devoted, showcasing a sneakerhead’s most coveted footwear. A one-of-a-kind, interactive projection mapping display will help tell the story of the featured product, from the newest release to rare and archival adidas footwear models culled from the brand’s storied past. In future months, this back room will host a rotating series of in-store experiences, including art installations; DJ performances; and events that celebrate the intersection of sport and culture.

The result is a one-stop destination for the best of adidas style and sport innovation, all presented in an elevated, gallery-like setting that offers the superior customer service, credible storytelling and street-sport-style expertise inherent to the Concepts name.

adidas x Concepts—an environment where sneakers and men’s and women’s fashion and sportswear are presented as art—is located at:

73 Newbury Street

Boston, MA