Panthers Brussels is a sneaker & street wear store, specialized in performance & lifestyle sneakers. They are one of the few in Belgium who distribute exclusively Nike & Adidas ‘niche’ models. Pieter Pauwels, one of the store owners, is a big fan of Michael Jordan. He came up with the idea to call the store Panthers, referring to Jordan’s nickname: Black Panther.

For the third installment of the chain in Belgium, Panthers wanted a store that showed high end and exclusiveness. They commissioned Joshua Florquin Architects to come up with a new concept and interior design. The store is located in a beautiful 20th century neo classical building in central Brussels near La Bourse . It has a squared surface of 36m², with one large window and door giving on a shopping avenue.

The challenge of this project was to create a high end store with a large choice of shoes on a relatively small surface. The solution lies in the idea of creating an environment where you feel as if you were searching for a precious object: your special shoe.

Design and morphology of the store represent an underground mine with rock and metal elements materialized through the use of black stained plywood, rude oak and brass, emphasizing the exclusive feeling. The rocks are designed so shoes can be displayed in many ways and in many numbers, keeping a harmony in presentation. The rock formations also invite people to sit on them and try out the shoes thus making them functional. The central rock element is key to the circulation of the store, making it circular and dynamic. Brass rock elements highlight certain shoe models making them special. The beautiful reflective brass coated wall carrying the panthers logo is visible from the street making the store a land mark in the sneaker world of Brussels.

Photography by Matteo Rossi