Australian footwear brand Frankie4 has opened its first permanent retail store in the United States.
Located at the Bellevue Collection, just outside of Seattle, Washington, the store opening builds on the success of the brand’s Bellevue Square pop-up location, which ran last spring and summer.
Expanding its reach in the US, Frankie4 has recently established key wholesale partnerships with Nordstrom and J.Jill, and has garnered celebrity endorsements, including Kelly Clarkson’s praise of their boots as akin to ‘walking on clouds.’
“Our footwear has helped hundreds of thousands of women, and we look forward to helping many more women in our flagship US store,” said Frankie4’s group CEO Hilary McMillan, in a statement
The new 1,844-square-foot Seattle store features a bright, contemporary, and airy interior design by JPC Architects, with touches of Australian design accents throughout. The concept includes several touchpoints from Frankie4’s design concept, including live plants and greenery, that tie back to the brand’s DNA.
“We spend a lot of time educating our team on the materials we use, why we use them, what are common foot pathologies that women will come into the store with, and how our shoes can really change a woman’s life,” continued McMillan.
“Most women consider some kind of pain in their feet to be ‘normal.’ Heel pain (plantar fasciitis) is extremely common in women and can be debilitating. Frankie4 exists because living with painful feet is not ‘normal,’ and making the change to good-for-you, supportive footwear is a simple solution for so many.”
The new store opening comes close to two years after Frankie4 opened its US headquarters in Seattle and sees the Australian footwear brand expand its global presence. Founded in 2010 by podiatrist Caroline McCulloch, the acclaimed Australian shoe brand has earned widespread recognition for its blend of tailor-made comfort and well-designed footwear.