NIKE weaves 85,000 kilos of sustainable material into new flagship store in paris

sportswear giant NIKE has opened its first flagship store in europe located in the french capital. dubbed the house of innovation paris, it follows the new york and shanghai stores opened in 2018. boasting a prime location on the avenue des champs-élysées — frequently described as the world’s most beautiful avenue — the 2,400 square meters (nearly 26,000 square feet) space embodies the brand’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and the power of digital.

prior to its opening, designboom spoke with john hoke, NIKE’s chief design officer, who shared insights into the creation of this new space and what he thinks is the most important design problem of our times.

images by tom d morgan, courtesy of NIKE

in 2019, NIKE unveiled its stance on tackling climate change through an initiative called move to zero, directing the company towards a zero carbon and zero waste future. with the idea of guiding the future of design, NIKE’s aim is to create products that last longer and that are designed with the end in mind, creating what they call, NIKE circular design. from the NIKE space hippie — their lowest carbon footprint shoe to date — to the team USA 2020 olympic uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles, it’s no surprise that the new flagship store in paris would reveal an enhanced sustainable design.

‘having a more positive impact on our planet is the most important design problem of our times,’ john hoke told designboom. ‘being able to really shift the conversation and shift the design discourse to reflect the conditions of the world today is very important. we have to be really thoughtful about the choices that we make as creatives and not to think about just the composition before making but to incorporate everything — from the sourcing, to the use, to the collection, to the end. we have to not just embrace it but to drive it.’

the paris store is a massive step in NIKE’s move to zero journey that not only wants to help protect the planet but to create a better future for sport, two things that are intrinsically intertwined. more than 85,000 kilograms of sustainable material were woven into the store design and display fixtures. and if that wasn’t enough, the megastore is completely fueled by a clean energy wind complex thanks to a partnership with the world’s leading wind power company in spain.

over four floors, the NIKE paris, house of innovation 002 gives unparalleled access to NIKE’s best innovations, athlete storytelling and experiences while paying homage to the building’s legacy. offering an immersive and digitally-powered end-to-end consumer journey, customers will be able to browse through one of the largest assortments of NIKE footwear in europe while experiencing their massive, most digitally connected and immersive retail concept.

‘one of the things we’re really proud of is we’re trying to find a blurred environment between the physical and the digital, and in both shanghai and new york we were beta testing some of the technologies found on your phone,’ hoke continues. ‘for the paris store we have perfected some of those. these advancements, for example, allow you to shop exclusively online but in a real world environment and there’s also a set of fit apps that you can use to help you find your size.’

NIKE’s full palette is on display here, and that palette includes every aspect of creation, resulting in a holistic immersive experience guided by the power of design. ‘the house of innovation really is a celebration and a peek-behind-the-curtain of how we are as an innovator brand,’ hoke concludes. ‘and what that means to me — and I like to say that at NIKE, innovation is always a commitment and never a guarantee — is that exploration, problem-solving, failing, testing, learning and then reapplying is very important to us, so that these expressions, these places and these experiences continue the dialogue with the public. this store experience pulls back the curtain and shows you the good, the bad, the ugly of what we do and the process that we go through to make our products.’