KOI footwear opens its first brick-and-mortar store at Trafford Centre
Vegan and unisex footwear brand KOI has opened the doors of first in-person shopping experience in Manchester’s Trafford Centre.
KOI has returned to its roots with the launch of its first store in the city, which is where the business was founded.
Established in 2016, KOI rapidly found success with global e-commerce platforms, such as Dolls Kill, Urban Outfitters, Zalando, Zumiez, Hot Topic, and ASOS.
Taking inspiration from punk and emo design codes, the brand's creative aesthetic taps into grunge subcultures while boasting ethical materials. Not only is each design 100% vegan, but the 'too cool to be cruel' label is also recognised by the world-renowned animal rights organisation, PETA, for being cruelty-free.
The 990 sq ft unit is located on the ground floor of the shopping destination, opposite retail giant Zara. The brand will host an in-store launch event on 23 November, which will include early access to its Black Friday discounts, goodie bags and a celebratory glass of prosecco.
Bruce Gardner, Brand Experience Director at Trafford Centre, commented: “Following the recent Zavvi and Lookfantastic pop-ups, this is yet another digitally native store debut for Trafford. We are delighted to welcome KOI footwear which will offer something truly unique, and given their huge following and irreverent brand, it will be massively popular with the Trafford consumer.”
Owner and Founder of KOI, Uzair Ahmad, added: “Pristine marble floors, ceilings that go up to the heavens and iconic brand names were all the things I noticed when I used to walk through The Trafford Centre as a kid. To have the opportunity to have KOI alongside them is a dream come true. We’re excited to be offering a store ahead of Christmas where customers can visually see the quality and originality of our product.”
KOI is also focused on sustainability, partnering with One Tribe to protect the rainforest with every purchase you make. To date, they have protected 287,709 trees.
