Sharing a project that stayed on paper is a rare choice. Sport teaches a simple principle: sometimes you win, the rest of the time you learn. When Saucony invited us to imagine the concept for its first global flagship stores, we welcomed a precious challenge, giving shape to the future identity of a brand. The selection came through an internal recommendation, alongside two international studios, one in London and one in Los Angeles. This is the story of an idea of experiential retail design that left its mark.
The Saucony brief
Saucony, a historic American running brand, was ready for its leap into retail with an ambitious plan: a rollout of around 150 stores worldwide, about ten of them flagships. The brief called for a strong, recognisable and international concept, able to speak to the heart of a new generation of runners. We had roughly a month to imagine it, and we presented it to a board spread across San Francisco, Milan and Dubai, the president included.
Our vision: Run to Better
We answered with a story. Picture a spaceship landing on Earth, arriving from a better future with a gift for the present. It carries tools that make every purchase more conscious and every product more sustainable, real allies in the response to climate change and far from any form of greenwashing. From this image came our payoff, Run to Better, an invitation to run for yourself and for something greater.
The project concept
Together with our friends at Caire, Antonio Pisano and Lorenzo Baldini, we turned the store into an immersive experience. The environment is retro-futuristic, inspired by organic shapes and natural materials. The shoes become technological devices to explore: every model carries codes to scan that activate digital content, from videos to insights and augmented reality. At the centre we placed a treadmill to test the shoes in real time, in front of a circular ledwall that lets you choose your running scenario among desert, city and forest. The heart of the project is a red maple, a symbol of energy, balance and nature.
Saucony VANDA retail concept induction
The choice to propose a new payoff
We also pushed further, proposing Run to Better as a new brand signature. It was a bold move, because it entered territory the brief had not asked us to explore. In all likelihood that very step beyond the perimeter is what cost us the win, and we stand by it all the same: pushing a little further is part of how we work.
The closing with Ed Gillespie
To complete the presentation we included a video message from Ed Gillespie, a director of Greenpeace UK and a friend of the studio, supporting a vision of retail that is more conscious and connected to environmental themes.
The storytelling that guides our retail design
At VANDA we start from the narrative before the floor plan. The story defines the atmosphere, the materials, the paths and the gestures people make in the space. The same approach guides projects such as North Sails, Oh My Crunch and Cannoncino, where the identity of the place grows from a recognisable story and becomes a real experience for everyone who walks in.
Saucony VANDA retail concept footwear wall
The physical store we imagine
Arch. Valentina Elmiger, founder of VANDA, believes the physical store is returning in a different guise. The commercial space today carries messages, connects people who share values and tells the story of a brand. Selling becomes the natural consequence of a project done well, the fruit of an authentic experience and of a place people choose to spend time in.
SAUCONY retail concept design, Footwear wall
Why we take part in competitions
Competitions play a precious role for an architecture studio. They open room for research, help the team grow and push beyond the comfort zone. When the win arrives it brings new projects, and when defeat arrives it leaves skills and awareness behind. Either way the balance stays positive: you either win or you learn.