Nike takes shot at pop
In fact, to find Toronto's newest "high concept" store tucked away on the second floor of a nondescript building, you have to know where you're going. Even as you climb the dark and dingy stairwell,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], you may still not be sure you're in the right place.
Remarkably this is a Nike store, the "Just Do It" retailer not particularly known for quiet understatement. It's the only one of its kind in Canada and it's dedicated to selling only one kind of Nike shoe the iconic Air Force 1.
To mark the 25th anniversary of this basketball shoe this year,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Nike teamed up with the bercool sneaker shop Goodfoot, located on the ground level of the same building, to staff and operate this temporary "pop up" shop.
That's right temporary. Despite the serious money that Nike pumped into the space to transform it into a studiolike environment with expensive polished wood and sparkling glass cases that display the shoes in a manner more museum than streetwear shop,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the store will, according to plan, close in a few months. It only opened in January.
This guerrilla retail concept setting up shop in a temporary location for a limited time is not new. The Paris avantgarde fashion label Comme des Garons pioneered this method of retailing in cities around the world. But their modus operandi was simple and involved very little overhead: Organizers would just roll racks of clothing into a sparse space for a few months, sell as much as possible and move on.
Now behemoth retailers seem to be catching on to these temporary arrangements. When New York designers Proenza Schouler collaborated with the Target store chain for a limited edition cheapand chiccollection, Target selected a cool Soho store, Opening Ceremony, to sell only this special collection during New York Fashion Week.
As temporary as these arrangements seem, they still require considerable thought.
Partnering with Goodfoot in this venture was based on Nike's longstanding relationship with the store, says Nike spokesperson Jane Shaw.
"They are one of the premium sneaker destinations in Canada," she says. "They are sneaker connoisseurs."
Goodfoot, with just three stores across Canada,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], has quietly cultivated a following amongst sneaks freaks as the goto place for limited editions, reissues and hardtofind stock.
The admiration flows both ways between the David and Goliath companies. "Nike shoes are titles of hiphop songs," says Ace Russell, one of the buyers for Goodfoot. "You can't buy that kind of cool."
But what is it about the AF1 that separates it from the pantheon of styles that the global powerhouse sells?
"It has tremendous staying power to transcend generational gaps since 1982, to be embraced by sport, street,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], hiphop culture and still be relevant today is incredible," says Russell.
When the hightop leather shoe with the ankle strap came out in 1982, it was hailed as revolutionary. Nike designer Bruce Kilgore was charged with coming up with solutions for a better performing basketball shoe. His shoe design with an ankle strap,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], concentric circle outsole and an airpacked insole immediately won over professional players but also garnered fans in the hiphop community, which helped make it into an icon.
The store will also stock exclusive special editions commemorating the AF1 silver anniversary, from a brown croc leather with 14k gold lace tips and dog tag to a pristine white anaconda version. Both sell for $3,000.
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