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At ANTA SNEAKERVERSE: Shanghai Nanjing East Road, every step takes you deeper into a space where design breathes life into fantasy and transforms retail into an experience.
What if stepping into a store felt like stepping into the very soul of a brand? ANTA has mastered this art, shaping a retail space that pulses with the same precision, power, and vitality that define its footwear. Inside ANTA China’s store, every line, surface, and material choice seems to move with purpose, drawing visitors into an atmosphere charged with energy and intent. This vision was celebrated with a Platinum award at the 2025 MUSE Design Awards in the category of Interior Design for Retails, Shops, Department Stores and Mall, recognizing a space that turns every visit into a journey through movement and innovation.
Along the lively stretch of Nanjing East Road in Shanghai, ANTA SNEAKERVERSE rises like a portal to another world. Shadows play across the dark Gothic facade, where black bricks tilt forward with quiet drama and a timeworn door, dressed in classical flourishes, whispers of stories waiting beyond. Inside, the everyday dissolves.
A loft-like expanse stretches upward, anchored by a burnished bronze chute that gleams like captured sunlight. Overhead, a mirrored ceiling reflects a “magic library,” multiplying books and shadows until they seem to drift into forever. The textures here are deliberate and rich: faux wood concrete floors underfoot feel grounded yet inviting, red and black brick walls bring warmth and history, and black cast iron details hold the scene together with quiet strength.
The five-story ANTA SNEAKERVERSE unfolds like a journey through a series of worlds, each floor designed to spark curiosity in its own way. The adventure opens on the first floor, aptly called the Magic Shoe Shop, where rows of footwear appear to float on bronze shelves, their weightlessness made tangible in shimmering metal. Selecting a pair sets a small spectacle in motion — a shoebox slips from the third-floor warehouse and glides down the store’s bronze chute, a striking centerpiece that hangs in the open space like a piece of kinetic art.
Up one level, the second floor, Through the Mist, trades spectacle for mystery. At its center rests a glowing crystal ball, not merely decorative but alive with gesture-sensitive technology, inviting visitors to wave their hands and watch the display respond as if magic were real. The bronze chute reappears here, reflected in the mirrored ceiling so that it seems to float endlessly through the air, defying both space and gravity. Across the floor, recessed bookshelves cradle worn, leather-bound volumes, their countless reflections multiplying in the mirrors until they resemble a library without end.
What makes ANTA SNEAKERVERSE so remarkable is the way it fuses storytelling with spatial design, turning every corner into a moment of discovery. It is a masterclass in how architecture, lighting, materials, and technology can work together to create not just a store, but a living, breathing environment that embodies a brand’s spirit.
Credits
Winning Entry Title: ANTA SNEAKERVERSE: SHANGHAI NANJING EAST ROAD
Winning Company: Anta (China) Co., Ltd
Winning Category: Interior Design - Retails, Shops, Department Stores & Mall
How does DREAM by VOYAH Automobile Technology Company rise above the ordinary? Through flowing lines, sophisticated materials, and a presence that lingers long after it passes.
