Selfridges continues Oxford Street store development

Luxury London department store Selfridges has opened the largest men’s shoe department in the world as part of its on-going store development plan in its Oxford Street store. The new 15,000 square foot men’s footwear concept,

follows in the footsteps of the women’s Shoe Galleries, which launched in 2010 and features more than 250 brands. In addition to the Selfridges staples, the new department also includes a staggering eighty new footwear brands to the department store, including Kenzo, McQ, Burberry and Barbour.

The retail space, which has doubled in size, also features a made-to-order shoe salon, bespoke brand boutiques, and a dedicated space for pop-up shops, to host exclusive collaborations, customisation services, trunk shows, and unique retail initiatives such as ‘Buy From The Runway’. One of the first designers set to take advantage of the new set-up is Christian Louboutin, who in February will house his men’s collection in a dedicated boutique.

Housing more than 72,000 pairs of shoes in stock, the new space designed by Belgian architect Vincent van Duysen is heavily inspired by the concept of residential interiors, and will be overseen by footwear retailer Kurt Geiger, who is working with Selfridges on the department’s edit of casual and luxury shoes.

Commenting on the new space, David Walker-Smith, director of menswear at Selfridges, said: “The new space is one of the cornerstones of our Menswear Masterplan – the ongoing development of men’s fashion at Selfridges.Our chief consideration when curating the space has been the idea of shopping by category. This is something we've observed our male clients doing more and more, so it feels like a natural progression to build the department around accommodating that shopping pattern.

“Our aim is to truly amaze our customers, and take ownership of core categories within our business by offering the very best international brands within bespoke retail environments.”

One of the biggest draws for the new men’s footwear department will be the exclusive styles created for the store from designer names including Lanvin and Versace, as well as Dr Martens, Trickers, and an exclusive capsule collection from luxury brand The Generic Man, comprising of 12 styles.

The department will also feature two new salons - one dedicated to driving shoes, and a new suite to house a unique luxury service for made-to-order footwear, which will allow shoppers to create their own bespoke styles including selecting the leather and skin, the colour, the sole type and the stitching, across brands such as Church’s, Tods, Tom Ford, Ferragamo, Grenson, Kurt Geiger London, Stemar and Prada.

The menswear footwear department follows expansions in the department stores premium women’s concessions, the revamped menswear space on the first floor, and the new womenswear Designer Galleries.