Selfridges Launches World's Largest Shoe Department
Posted on August 14, 2010
Selfridges Shoe Galleries, created by architect Jamie Fobert, will have 55,000 shoes in stock at any one time and 4,000 shoes on display from over 150 brands. Selfridges claims it is the biggest shoe department in the world. It features six unique shoe galleries, surrounded by 11 shoe boutiques created by shoe brands, and one hanging garden.
Selfridges' Director of Accessories Sebastian Manes says, "Imagine you are in a gallery. From the entrance you see a succession of doorways, and at the end a huge window flooding the space with daylight. Your journey begins at the front, with shoes from the best of the high street. Slowly you begin to travel through different galleries until you reach the end - the couture designer gallery, flanked by Chanel and Louboutin, and a vision of Eden - the new suspended garden at Selfridges. Shoe heaven!"
Jamie Fobert describes the design for the massive shoe display here on its website with several photographs, sketches and a model. The flooring used is French Oak. Fobert says, "Throughout the Shoe Galleries, the flooring is French Oak, laid in a gentle bespoke pattern within the retail display areas and in a distinctive herringbone pattern to mark out the walkways."