It was recently Inaugurated in Verona the showroom of the well-known sportswear brand, designed by the architectural firm Alberto Apostoli for 3A Sport, official importer of Converse for the Italian market.
Last June the works of the new Converse showroom in the province of Verona were completed.
Owned by 3A Sport, the importing company for Italy of some important sports brands, including Nike, and owner of the Just Play brand, this exhibition space bears the signature of Alberto Apostoli, an internationally renowned Italian designer.
Concept Design
The design matrix behind Concept is the famous logo, recently revisited by the company, consisting of a star and a 90 degree inverted chevron. The logo becomes the focal point of the entire room and from it all the escape lines originate, which make the space perfectly symmetrical and accentuate its depth.
Following the clients brief, Apostoli recreated the typical basketball court we are used to seeing in the American suburbs and where the best basketball players have grown up. Among these, Chuck Taylor, the player who made the Converse brand famous by wearing the new sports shoes made of canvas and rubber.
The space is therefore proposed with a street minimal style, distinguished by a concrete effect floor and large black corrugated sheets on the three sides, used for the display of over two hundred different models of shoes. The upper part of the showroom was instead resolved with a graphic that recreates the exterior of the American buildings of the 30s, made of red bricks, windows with grids, murals and graffiti. On the back wall we found a basket with its scoreboard worn out by time and players shots.
In the middle, the mannequins for the display of clothing were positioned, flanked by display cages and wooden tables. Two bands of grass run along the entire length of the floor up to the fifth wall, emphasizing the Converse logo.
The showroom is completed by the Converse Café, the reception area for meetings with clients. Here, too, an essential style is maintained, made through sofas and stools with an iron structure and the abundant use of OSB (reconstructed wood), used for the background panels and for the realization of the kitchen. Industrial Jungle themed graphics, large round rope rugs and some paintings with pictures of “Converse” champions give a touch of warmth to the space.
Lighting Design.
Lighting is a fundamental element of the project; studied with particular attention and made through the installation of RGB LED strips, it is combined with a DALI system able to manage different scenarios. Industrial-style pendant lamps provide ambient lighting, while numerous spots provide the specific light on exhibited products.