Koio opens Chicago flagship

Sneaker company Koio is opening their first Chicago flagship in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Located at 924 West Armitage, Koio Lincoln Park will build upon the phenomenal success of Koio’s recent Los Angeles store opening on Abbot Kinney in Venice. This will be the first Koio retail location powered by Leap, a new platform enabling digital brands to grow more rapidly into brick-and-mortar by making the launch and management of experiential retail stores completely turnkey.

“Brick-and-mortar locations have always been an essential component of our brand and long term growth strategy,” said Chris Wichert, co-founder and co-CEO of Koio, in a statement. “As we continue to rapidly expand our physical presence, first with the opening of our Venice location earlier in October and now with Chicago, we’re seeking out cities with a creative, inventive energy that really resonates with the risk-taking spirit at the core of our brand. We’re excited to be working with Leap to propel our expansion and empower us to develop a more personal connection to the Chicago Koio community through our new Lincoln Park home.”

Koio launched in New York City in 2015 with the mission of creating the world’s best sneaker. Koio is also focused on helping the community. One way they work to do this is to tell the story of artists, creatives and visionaries that embody that spirit through collaborations. They have worked with with ceramicist Ben Medansky, tattoo artist JonBoy, and dancer James Whiteside.

The brands shoe are made in Italy as part of their commitment to quality. Rather than outsourcing elements of the manufacturing to lower wage countries, as many luxury Italian brands do, Koio stays the course, offering complete transparency. Every material used in the construction of the sneaker - from the leather and laces to the soles and even the shoe box - are made in Italy.

photo: via Koio.com