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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Louisa Gregson

Gender neutral and vegan footwear store opens at the Trafford Centre

An ethical, vegan and unisex footwear store has opened its first ever flagship store in Manchester’s Trafford Centre - using 100 per cent vegan leathers and materials.

Online store KOI now has its first dedicated, bricks and mortar store in the shopping centre in Manchester - the very city in which it was founded. The brand new 990 square foot store is located on the first floor of the Trafford Centre, positioned opposite to women's fashion chain Zara.

KOI says it draws its inspiration from grunge, punk, and emo subcultures and state their USP is 'limitless creativity, breaking the boundaries of what design can be, while staying true to its ethics and aesthetics.'

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Established in 2016, the rapidly expanding online store already has an impressive catalogue of global partners that include such favourites as Dolls Kill, Urban Outfitters, Zalando, Zumiez, Hot Topic and retail giants ASOS.

Posting on social media, The Trafford Centre said of the brand: "They’ve been pushing the boundaries of footwear design since 2016 and cater for the contemporary, curious and those who aren’t afraid to stand out from the crowd.

Koi has opened in The Trafford Centre (submitted)

"With a core range of essentials, unique and out-there designs, their products are ethically designed in-house in Manchester and produced using 100% vegan leathers and materials."

Commenting on the store launch, owner and founder Uzair Ahmad described having a store at The Trafford Centre as a "dream come true."

He said: “Pristine marble floors, ceilings that go up to the heavens and iconic brand names were all the things I noticed when I used to walk through The Trafford Centre as a kid.

"To have the opportunity to have KOI alongside them is a dream come true. We’re excited to be offering a store ahead of Christmas where customers can visually see the quality and originality of our product”.

Since it first launched, KOI has witnessed huge global growth, particularly amongst its stockists. The brand says its goal is to continue to raise its profile and to expand into new markets.

Bruce Gardner, Brand Experience Director at The Trafford Centre said he was "delighted" to welcome the store, which opened its doors on Monday, November 21.

Koi at The Trafford Centre (submitted)

He said: “Following the recent Zavvi and Lookfantastic pop ups, this is yet another digitally native store debut for Trafford.

"We are delighted to welcome KOI footwear which will offer something truly unique, and given their huge following and irreverent brand, it will be massively popular with the Trafford consumer”.

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