Vivobarefoot in SoHo: Why the Regenerative Footwear Brand Is Launching its First U.S. Flagship Store

The regenerative footwear brand Vivobarefoot is expanding its U.S. retail presence with the opening of its first flagship store in SoHo in June. This experiential retail concept will replicate the successful formats used at Vivobarefoot’s London and Bristol locations. The store will be housed at a 1,500 square foot space at 248 Lafayette Street. The new store will, for the first time in the U.S., bring its signature biophilic, nature-led retail design. Customers will experience a sensory immersion in nature, including a light-filled, plant-rich space featuring natural materials and calming scents, designed to help people ‘slow down, breathe, and reconnect with their feet’.

Galahad Clark, Vivobarefoot co-founder and CEO, commented: 'My family has been making shoes for seven generations. Vivobarefoot began with a simple but uncomfortable truth: modern footwear is part of the problem, so we chose to do something about it'. Clark also noted that when natural movement is restored, this changes how people walk and their relationship with their body, as well as their health.

The New York store will offer the brand’s full barefoot footwear collections for adults and kids, foot scanning and movement analysis, one-on-one natural movement coaching, access to the brand’s Revivo program (a recommerce platform that offers repaired and reconditioned footwear), and a VivoBiome preview area that showcases Vivobarefoot’s circular, made-to-measure footwear system. The flagships are also designed to act as community hubs where the store can host weekly events and workshops.

Galahad Clark, whose ancestors founded Clarks shoes, co-founded Vivobarefoot in 2012. The opening of this store represents a significant milestone for Vivobarefoot, solidifying its presence in the US market and offering consumers a unique shopping experience focused on foot health and natural movement.

Galahad Clark stated: 'New Yorkers walk more than almost anyone on earth, yet most do so in shoes that disconnect them from the ground beneath them. This store is an invitation to reconnect, to rediscover what your feet are actually designed to do.' The store seeks to create an environment that encourages connection with nature and the adoption of natural movement, offering customers the opportunity to experience the benefits of barefoot footwear and movement biomechanics.

The Vivobarefoot flagship store in London has served as a model for the SoHo store's design, demonstrating the brand's commitment to creating immersive and customer-centric retail spaces.