What I was walking into

This was the first project where I held the full creative vision of the room. I inherited a hidden shoe-wall entrance, a working “Sneakeasy” premise and a sneaker-focused capture proposal. The assignment was to place PUMA’s seasonal product inside an active Foot Locker without allowing the experience to become a concealed party followed by disconnected activities.

What caught my attention

Private access only becomes meaningful when it changes how someone is received. The hidden wall could remain, but the room beyond it needed to guide guests through discovery, service, styling, transformation and recognition.

What I shaped

Working closely with producer Cindy Ly Rozas, I reframed the experience as PUMA Style Vault and created its key-based logo lockup and graphic language. I wrote and designed the activation deck, directed the spatial relationship among the entrance, product display, lounge, styling, hospitality and capture, and developed the shoe menu and guest materials. I replaced the kick-capture proposal with a full-body infinity-mirror portrait, introduced SpotMyPhotos and briefed the photographer on guest direction and live-event pace.

What became real

Guests entered through a concealed shoe wall into a black, mirrored retail salon. An eight-selection Palermo and Suede XL menu supported stylist-guided discovery and try-on, followed by a white-glove product handoff. A DJ, lounge and mocktail service supported the sequence, which ended with a professionally directed full-body portrait delivered through SpotMyPhotos.

What stayed with me

The project taught me that a stronger late idea can still impose a real cost on production. My method changed afterward: establish the governing experience earlier, bring production into the concept sooner and reserve late changes for decisions that materially improve how the guest moves, understands or participates.