Blank’s design team took inspiration from Chinese farm terraces and running tracks to design this flowing landscape of shoes for Runner Camp.
The store is located along Jinji Lake, at the heart of the modern central business district in Suzhou. Jinji Lake is also the site of the Suzhou marathon, so this location allows Runner Camp to support the running community in the area. The store is specifically located inside the ambitious mixed use development by the well-known lifestyle brand, Eslite Bookstore.
Since Runner Camp is a running lifestyle brand, we created a design language that borrows geometry from two typical running conditions found in the region: traditional rice terraces (the rural) and running tracks (the urban). Both rice terraces and running tracks share a common language of curving bands, and this geometric principle becomes the central theme of the design.
The design begins on the floor, with different materials referencing running tracks. The bands climb up one side of the shop, culminating in a large terraced landscape to display shoes. Display islands with similar design language also emerge in the center of the space. The central display islands allow for special functions, including accessories display, seating, and computer workstations. The overall design of the space encourages a wandering circulation and interaction with the products.
