The Sydney-based Shoes of Prey will land in US stores for the first time through a partnership with Nordstrom, the Australian startup has announced.
While Americans could previously design their own shoes and order from the Shoes of Prey website, the Nordstrom deal marks the first time the startup has had a presence inside a US store.
Through the partnership, Shoes of Prey will bring its customised shoes concept to six Nordstom locations by early 2015. The first “Shoes of Prey Design Studio” opens 17 November in Bellevue, Wash. Future locations will be Paramus, New Jersey; Pentagon City, Virginia; Oakbrook, Illinois; and Fashion Island and San Francisco Center in California.
The space will include multiple iPads equipped with 3D designer software, as well as boxes containing swatches of more than 170 materials customers can use in their shoes. Shoes of Prey will also have shoe stylists on hand to guide customers through the process.
When the customer completes their design and purchase, the shoes are handmade and sent to the customer’s home in four weeks.
“We’re always looking for the best merchandise and experiences for our customers and we know there is something special about finding just the right pair of shoes,” said Nordstrom executive vice president Scott Meden.
“We’re excited for our customers to experience first-hand a chance to design their own pair.”
Shoes of Prey has previously opened concept stores in Australia, with an existing location at David Jones in the Sydney CBD and another opening 4 December at the Westfield in Bondi Junction.
The startup has also been experimenting with 3D holograms to give customers an interactive look at their shoe designs before purchasing.
Adam Bender covers telco and enterprise tech issues for Computerworld and is the author of dystopian sci-fi novels We, The Watched and Divided We Fall. Follow him on Twitter: @WatchAdam
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