Alohas has landed within the U.S. for the primary time.
Positioned at 260 Elizabeth St. within the Nolita neighborhood of NYC, the brand new retailer gives the Barcelona-based footwear model’s vary of sneakers, sandals, ballet flats and extra.
In accordance with Alohas, the shop, which formally opened on Might 1, was designed by Clap Studio, the award-winning agency based mostly in Valencia, which has been engaged on the model’s retailer design because the first opening in Spain. For this location, the agency was impressed by Hawaii’s volcanic landscapes, reinterpreting their shapes and textures to create the shop’s environment.
Alejandro Porras, founder and chief government officer of Alohas, informed FN that opening a retailer in New York was “the mandatory and pure subsequent step” for the model.
“America is our largest market, and New York is a worldwide epicenter of trend, tradition, and aware residing – values that completely align with our mission,” Porras stated. “We’re excited to convey our distinctive mix of cutting-edge design and accountable consumption to one of the vital inspiring cities on the earth.”
Based by Porras in 2015 whereas he was residing in Hawaii, the thought for the corporate got here from the Menorquinas sandals he was sporting in his every day life whereas on the island. So, as an ode to his staple espadrille-like footwear selection whereas in Hawaii, the corporate was initially often known as Alohas Sandals. However over the past 10 years, the corporate shortly grew to different footwear classes and has even added some ready-to-wear.
A glance inside an Alohas retailer.
Courtesy of Alohas
With a concentrate on ladies’s sneakers which can be made in each Spain and Portugal, the corporate additionally gives unisex sizing in its fashionable sneaker vary, with sizes going as much as a 46. In reality, the sneakers are one of many model’s hottest classes, with prospects discovering the fashion by way of a spike in reputation due to Instagram.
“Social media was our essential pillar of communication and the way we acquired new prospects,” Maria Viterbo, head of public relations and advertising and marketing at Alohas, informed FN in an interview. “For the final two years, we’ve been working additional arduous to develop a model that folks acknowledge and really need to purchase.”
Viterbo added that Alohas, which is principally a direct-to-consumer model, solely not too long ago began to open brick-and-mortar shops.
“We opened our first retailer in Madrid final yr, adopted by a location in Barcelona just a few months later,” Viterbo famous. “This yr, we not too long ago opened shops in Milan, Amsterdam and a pop-up in Paris that we hope to make a everlasting location. So, this growth to New York not solely marks the model’s bodily entry into the U.S. market but additionally signifies our first retailer exterior of Europe.”
A glance inside an Alohas retailer.
Courtesy of Alohas
And whereas this retailer rollout could seem fast, Viterbo stated that the need to open bodily shops have been at all times a part of the plan. “Our essential purpose with the shops is to have them be our essential level of reference to our prospects,” the manager famous. “We’re going after areas in cool neighborhoods which can be surrounded by different up to date manufacturers which have an identical buyer as we do. So, we’re being strategic in our method to shops.”
The manager added that whereas this New York store is the corporate’s “final confirmed opening” for 2025, extra areas are within the works. “We’re areas in London, Berlin and extra cities all through the U.S. like Los Angeles,” Viterbo stated. “However, like I stated, we don’t need to open simply anyplace. It must be excellent for us.”