Warm Indian hues envelop this sneakers store at the capital

The Superkicks store designed by Joint Studio takes you on a sensory guide of India, with a special focus on New Delhi. 

Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Avesh Gaur; courtesy Joint Studio

The site

Joint Studio was approached by Sangeet Paryani, the owner of Superkicks India (a sneakers and apparel brand), to design their New Delhi store — a large basement + ground floor space at Vasant Vihar. The ground floor measuring 1,035 sq ft and the basement which was spread across 1,200 sq ft enjoyed a height of 16-ft and 14-ft respectively. The design brief required Joint Studio to create a unique experience for a “one of a kind sneaker store” — something never seen before, and one that would support and drive the sneaker community.

The brief

The design brief required Joint Studio to create a unique experience for a “one of a kind sneaker store” — something never seen before, and one that would support and drive the sneaker community.

The design intent

“We wanted to change how sneaker brands are perceived all over the world. Our aim was to create an experience that transcends from not just a store but to a sensory guide that takes you on a journey into India, New Delhi to be particular,” explains Nimisha Sharma, principal designer, Joint Studio. Therefore, rather than keeping a grey, white colour palette which is an obvious choice for a sneaker brand, the studio decided to work with a warm, earthy colour palette, or the “warm Indian colour palette.” The idea was to celebrate India’s rich heritage and infuse modern simple elements to create a truly unique retail space.

Breaking away from the general look and feel of a sneaker store, the space was decluttered and all the frills was stripped to a bare minimum.  “Practicality was our driving force and monolithic nature of a space became our unique design thread. Our major inspiration were the forts (like Red Fort) of New Delhi,” explains Nimisha. The heights of the original basement and ground floor were untouched. Infact, this scale allowed the design team to play around with multiple elements like large scale light fixtures with curves and bends. “We incorporated curves with geometry as our usual design statement. We wanted to create a minimal space with unique interesting elements that de-clutters the space and gives you a sense of playfulness yet adds a simplistic touch to it, which was achieved by the monolithic nature of the space,”  adds Suryansh Agarwal, design lead, Joint Studio.

To bring in a sense of familiarity to the space, local materials such as sand stone, terracotta, terrazzo and glass bricks were chosen as the primary materials. “These materials are familiar materials to Indian customers, we have grown up looking at these rich colours all around us, this brings in the emotional memory connect to the store,” say the designers.

The spatial configuration

Walking into the store, the first thing that strikes one is the sheer scale of the space. And then one is immediately drawn to the scaled out version of shoe laces right in front on the multipurpose wall. This design feature is not just a sculpture that celebrates Indian wooden carving but also serves as a display unit showcasing multiple products.

The ground floor is divided into steps where multiple experiences can take place on each level. But nothing in this store is for show… everything has a reason and a purpose behind its existence. Even a simple thing like a mirror is planned at an angle for maximum view points across the space. Walking on to the steps towards the shoe display wall, you would encounter interesting multi-level clothing racks that can be accessed from a step below and a step up. These racks were custom made to be accessible from all angles.

Going ahead on the top stair is a bench cum display area where the steps double up as event space and sitting space. From the top of the stairs, the shoe wall can be experienced in all its glory. To make this experience unique a clear acrylic tube (a modern take) was recreates the old school system of shoe dropping seen in traditional shoe stores. It all comes together with a singular element all across — terracotta colour and large scale concentric lights.

The basement takes you on a self-reflective journey with its walkway staircase featuring reflective mirrors on walls and ceiling that create a visual treat for your senses. You enter with a sense of awe, with a counter that is devoid of any frills, text or forceful push to buy, it’s a non-assuming space. This community driven space has some interesting curvy walls and areas to sit around. The centrally hung installation is reminiscent of the stairs one just passed, with a reflective surface that delights. All the design features is tied together by the terracotta colour and large-scale curved lights.

The highlights

“For us personally, we love the terracotta throughout the store, it almost feels rebellious of the white/grey stores that we are so use to. But if I had to pick one part then it would be the lighting we designed, it’s one thing to design it on your computer but its awe inspiring to see it in person, the sheer scale of the concentric lights on the ground floor and the curved geometry of the basement lights makes your experience extraordinary,” says Suryansh.

The challenges

“Most definitely this Superkicks store is different from any other store in India, or if I may say any store in the world. Every corner was custom made to create an experience never seen before. More than a challenge, I would say it was an exciting possibility for us. To be able to re-create such a unique identity of an already well established brand was nothing less than a thrilling experience to begin with. We could break away from all norms of how sneaker stores should be,” asserts Nimisha.

Fact file

Project: Superkicks Store
Client: Sangeet Paryani
Location: Vasant Vihar Priya Market, New Delhi
Area: 1,200 sq ft (basement) and 1,035 sq ft (ground floor)
Principal designer: Nimisha Sharma
Design lead: Suryansh Agarwal
Design team: Shreya Ahuja, Sumit Batra and Natasha Satyawali