Forever. Faster. The PUMA Story

Spatial fidelity. It’s the exactness to which environmental activity can reproduce the highest and best response, and it’s what Principal Nathan Lee Colkitt aims to achieve for PUMA and the hundreds of stores he has designed for the global brand.

“I find it akin to a sunset over the ocean. You watch it every single night and never get bored of it. Few man-made experiences can reproduce this, but approaching this should be a goal.”

From SoHo to Toronto, Colkitt Architecture has scaled and evolved store designs where operations are certainly king. In fact, there is no better case study than PUMA to flex Colkitt Architecture’s performative design skills.

“When we measure the performance of architecture, everything must fall into two categories: quantity and quality,” says Colkitt, touring the PUMA Kids outlet store in San Ysidro, one of the busiest stores on the world’s largest border crossing.

STOP & STARE The architect in front of PUMA’s windows, which he activated with the brand’s “Forever Faster” campaign images.

ARCHITECTS WITHOUT BOARDERS Colkitt brings PUMA Kids to San Ysidro.

LEAN IN An architect who loves high capacity.

SHELF LIFE “It is about tuning the look, feel, and performance of a brand to reach the highest level.”

SPACE EXPLORER “We focus on the possibility of life within space, building connections between people and brands.”

TAKE STOCK When it comes to factory outlet design, more is always better.

IF THE SHOE FITS  “As a father of two daughters, I am now fluent in shoe sizing,” laughs Colkitt.

Photography by Tomoko H. Matsubayashi.