miklós kiss encases budapest footwear store in brilliant white metro tiles

appealing to a romantic notion of shoe shops and cabinets — of cobblers hunched over the frayed soles of shoes — miklós kiss has created a new face for the budapest home of footwear brand wink.

appealing to a romantic notion of shoe shops and cabinets — of cobblers hunched over the frayed soles of shoes — miklós kiss has created a new face for the budapest home of footwear brand wink. releasing shoe designs for the past 30 years, wink’s facelift pays homage to the history of the brand while celebrating its modern identity, committed to quality and design.

‘the production of wink’s 2016 autumn/winter collection is carried out by small manufacturers,’ explains miklós kiss. ‘instantly, I had a vision from historical museums, stories and descriptions of workshops full of small drawer cabinets. I imagined a space where we mix the memories of old shops with a modern architectural design.’ as a store, the revitalized aesthetic was intended as a prototype for wink’s reimagined brand identity.

the entryway to the shop is defined by a massive chandelier crafted from shoe lasts — the most important element of shoe production. the brand’s classic white and blue color combinations were retained, generating a continuity with the legacy of the company. the dazzling white spaces are divided by a series of blue gates, guiding customers through the shop’s various spaces and culminating in the entryway to the store’s integrated design gallery. the walls of the shop are encased in white metro tiles intended to reference the unfiltered urbanity of a city’s underground, as well as evoking the unpretentious aesthetic of a cobbler’s workshop. ‘my main goal was to create a space where the functions go beyond that of a traditional shop – to create an inspiring visual stimulation and an exhibition space that showcases wink’s renewed brand identity.’