If your retail spaces age faster than your products, this is why.
I was in Hong Kong last November for a Dragon's Den like startup competition.
I walked into an Adidas store and bought a 3D-printed shoe. The product felt future-ready.
But the space almost kept up.
Here’s the gap most global brands face.
You can release new products every season.
You can invest millions in R&D.
Yet the store you walk into can still slow the story down.
Research shows most interior fit-outs last 5 to 7 years.
That cycle drives cost, waste, and carbon.
And customers feel it, even if they cannot name it.
In this series, “If I was the head of design at…”, I look at what brands could change tomorrow.
If I was the head of design at Adidas, I would start with materials.
Not logos.
Not screens.
Not graphics.
Materials.
The Hong Kong brand center already has a strong base.
Concrete.
Metal.
Large digital moments.
A footwear wall that pulls you in.
I would upgrade the high-touch zones.
• Behind the footwear wall
• The cash desk
• Try-on benches
• Members bar surfaces
The places hands actually live.
Those surfaces would be made from Cleanstone.
Panels made from 100 percent recycled plastic.
Waterproof.
Hard-wearing.
Built for retail abuse.
They feel premium.
They do not feel recycled.
That matters.
Nike is already closing the loop in store.
Take-back schemes.
Regrind programs.
Material feedback into new products.
Spaces need to keep up with that thinking.
If your products are pushing forward, your stores should not lag behind you.
If you are rolling out new retail or hospitality spaces this year, ask yourself:
Does your material story match your product story?
Are your high-touch surfaces designed for the next 10 years, or the last 5?
What happens to your fit-out when it is pulled out?
If you want a space that performs like the future, not just looks like it, flick me a message.
Jump on criticaldesign.nz for more.
I will send you some samples.