Nudie Jeans has a big idea for a new small retail concept.
The Scandinavian denim brand unveiled Denim Kiosk, a “low-footprint high-capacity design” for modest, multipurpose spaces. The retail concept, located at 9 Club Row in Shoreditch, London serves as a store, repair shop and fulfillment center for local online orders.
Martin Gustafsson, chief creative officer at Nudie Jeans, compares the kiosk to “an architectural mortadella—layered, rich, and full of character.”
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Stocked with a full denim range for men and women, the modular store is densely packed, from the concrete floor, up the pine shelving, all the way to the clay-colored ceiling. To ensure flexibility for the future, the store’s fittings and furniture are designed to be reused and reassembled in new locations, making moves or redesigns more sustainable and efficient. Details like an indigo-stained paneled wall nod to the brand’s denim roots.
Denim Kiosk is part of Nudie’s retail expansion program across international markets. Additional Q2 store openings are planned for Manchester, Indonesia (Bandung) and Auckland. In total, a representative from the brand said Nudie is planning to open around 10 new stores per year, “but it’s all location and space dependent and so is the format.”
“We are, however, looking for smaller spaces to follow the Denim Kiosk format as we believe this is the way forward for our brand,” the rep told SJ Denim.
Denim Kiosk aligns with Nudie’s mission to extend the lifespan of jeans and to reduce its carbon footprint. A repair shop—a signature feature of Nudie Jeans stores—fills the front window of the 462 square-foot space. There, consumers can enjoy lifetime repair services for their Nudie Jeans. “The design celebrates craftsmanship and sustainability,” Gustafsson said, adding how the repair workshop invites “customers to witness denim restoration in action.”
Last year, Nudie repaired over 73,000 pairs of jeans worldwide through its 27 repair shops and 16 repair partners.
As Nudie Jeans continues to grow online, utilizing the brand’s physical retail footprint to fulfill online orders aligns with its climate goals. With shipping one of the biggest challenges within the fashion industry, having stores act as local distribution hubs reduces the need for air freight.
Localizing its online DTC business has been a focus area for Nudie for several years. In 2022, the brand linked with Swedish company Centra, an online commerce platform, to develop a new system that allows orders to ship from the customer’s nearest physical store instead of a centrally located warehouse.
