When Tod’s, an Italian luxury shoes and leather goods brand, acquired a newretail space at Destiny USA in Syracuse, New York, the mall’s designmanagement team tapped architecture firm Colkitt&Co to carry out Tod’s designconcept and vision for the premium outlet location. Despite a short timeline of justthree months, the team delivered a refined renovation with careful attention tocraftsmanship and compliance to LEED certification guidelines.
Colkitt&Co’s knowledge of retail environments and extensive experience withlocal building codes, including the completion of the LEED Platinum certifiedPUMA store located within the same mall, made it possible to optimize everyelement of the 3,000-square-foot space. Upon entering the store through glassdoors, located on the first level across from Armani and Ferragamo, shoppersare immersed in a balance of modernity and tradition. With Tod’s high-endprofile, and desire to have an outlet store that operates more like a full-pricelocation, the team elevated the interiors with crisp white walls, Italian-importedleather panels in the brand’s signature caramel color, a strong emphasis on themerchandise, and modern seating.
To contrast the white color palette, the team’s craftsmanship is seen in detailssuch as custom wall and ceiling pockets that are painted a dark color to createthe illusion of a floating ceiling, as well as recessed lighting and mirrors thatseamlessly blend in. As Tod’s design concept was based on Italianmeasurements and codes, Colkitt&Co reworked all the shelving andmerchandise niches to be more symmetrical and comply with Americanstandards, as well as modified the floorplan to allow for the pocket doors leadingto the stockroom to be hidden.
In addition, the team was challenged with reusing some fixtures and furnishingsremoved from the Las Vegas location, while other new pieces were inspired byTod’s Switzerland location. From a digital perspective, video marketing contentwas added behind the cash register to give customers an in-depth look at thebrand and other promotional materials. The resulting design merged Tod’sconcept and guidelines with a sleek and refined interior offering shoppers aversatile, premium outlet experience.
