The global design studio has created a flexible, elevated retail space for SOLE’s Oxford Street debut, setting a new standard for premium sneaker stores with natural materials, clean lines, and a community-first mindset.
In the heart of London’s Oxford Street, which is more often associated with frantic footfall and high-street bustle, a new kind of sneaker store has quietly arrived. Designed by global studio Brinkworth, the flagship store for SOLE reimagines what a premium sneaker retail space can be: pared-back, welcoming, and grounded in a philosophy of warm luxury and light minimalism.
SOLE marks a new chapter for Twinmar, the multi-brand retailer behind Soletrader. It’s also a significant move into the exclusive high-end sneaker market, a space Brinkworth is well-acquainted with through past collaborations with notable brands like Supreme, Aries, END., New Balance, and Adidas.
Drawing on this experience, Brinkworth set out to create a retail environment that would feel aspirational yet never alienating, respecting its products, its audience, and its location.
“Behaviour is key to the high-end sneaker market,” says Kevin Brennan, partner at Brinkworth. “Customers are smarter and expect respect when they drop their hard-earned cash on these pieces. A brand’s measure is not just in the dimension of the offer, but about time to evaluate their decisions within a space that lifts their experience.”
Brinkworth’s team worked closely with SOLE, running workshops to explore what buyers of higher-tier sneakers expect and how the brand could both align with and subtly subvert existing codes. The result is a store that feels sophisticated yet accessible, designed to flex with future campaigns and brand activations.
Materiality played a crucial role in shaping the space. A restrained palette of Douglas fir, pepper pot granite, poured concrete, clay plaster, and stainless steel gives the store a tactile, grounded quality.
“Douglas fir and clay are very basic materials, and in a luxury retail setting, they’d usually be found behind another surface or ‘front’,” explains Kevin. “But we’ve lifted them out of this into a new context to become precious.”
The interplay between raw, natural elements and more industrial finishes lends the space a quiet depth. It’s an approach that rejects the glossy, neoplastic surfaces common in premium retail, opting instead for a design language that feels honest, elevated, and a little unexpected.
From the street, visitors are welcomed by a large-format neon sign mounted on a Douglas fir double-facing window display. Inside, the store’s long, narrow footprint is celebrated rather than hidden, with clean, linear displays running along the perimeter.
Shelves are narrow and generously spaced, allowing the footwear to be presented side-on and given room to breathe. Bright clay-rendered walls and ceiling surfaces open up the space, creating a calm backdrop for the curated product selection.
“The shape of the mid-floor units references outdoor urban environments and streetwear retail,” Kevin says. “Using big, heavy furniture pieces in the mid-floor was an intentional move to be bold with the really long space of the shop. You can see deep into the store with an uninterrupted view.
“The mid-floor units invite exploration, and the clean perimeter displays allow the product to breathe. It’s about creating a calm, curatorial approach to the product and a clarity of offer.”
Above the main floor, a mezzanine level offers a more social and flexible space. Designed for brand takeovers, exclusive drops and curated events, the mezzanine offers a lounge-like atmosphere complete with relaxed seating – including a Ligne Roset sofa – and a curved steel display wall.
Importantly, it remains visible from the ground floor, subtly inviting visitors upward without disrupting the flow of the main retail space.
“It says to the customer that this brand is generous,” Kevin notes. “It can be tightly switched up for events and private launches without interrupting the hard work of the ground floor.” In an era where retail needs to work harder than ever, that kind of duality( transactional downstairs, experiential upstairs) feels both pragmatic and progressive.
With the premium sneaker market becoming increasingly competitive, Brinkworth’s design needed to strike a delicate balance between aesthetic elevation and commercial agility. The answer lay in what Kevin describes as “intentional design”. This means they made a conscious decision to pare things back, reduce the number of SKUs, and create an environment that promotes mindfulness in both display and browsing.
“Rather than overloading the customer, we’ve created a space that’s uncluttered, very clean and simple and promotes mindfulness of product display, but at the same time, supports dynamic merchandising,” Kevin says. Working alongside Ben Prescott Design, who crafted SOLE’s brand identity, Brinkworth also ensured the space was future-proofed for integrated digital and physical launches.
The result is a flagship that doesn’t shout for attention but earns it quietly. The store design feels measured, thoughtful, and perfectly at ease with its ambitions.