Foot Locker EMEA
The Heart of Sneakers
Evolving a global platform into a locally resonant identity.
Crafting a local Identity for scaled global impact.
Foot Locker partnered with AKQA to evolve the brand’s identity and create a flexible design system for The Heart of Sneakers platform across EMEA. The adaptable design system connects North America and EMEA, ensuring a unified global identity while giving each region the freedom to express its own creative voice. This shift strengthened brand equity, deepened cultural relevance and lifted proud-to-own metrics, offering a scalable blueprint for brands seeking global consistency with meaningful local impact.
AKQA brought a deep understanding of both the Foot Locker brand and the nuances of the European market. Together, we evolved The Heart of Sneakers into a platform that feels authentically local while staying true to our global spirit. The collaboration was seamless, the craft exceptional, and the result is an identity built to scale across key markets and needs we have.
Insight
Difference fuels passion.
Sneaker culture is inherently local and counter-cultural. A single global message, powerful in one region, can feel alienating in another. The challenge of connecting with diverse cities and cultures across EMEA was also the opportunity: to recognise that true passion for sneakers is found in local expression, not global conformity.
Idea
Find your heart.
The Heart of Sneakers is transformed from a top-down message into a platform for local celebration. A new brand identity for EMEA, inspired by the cities and communities themselves, empowers grassroots storytelling and gives cultural ownership to the fans. This allows them to define what The Heart of Sneakers means to them.
The hyperlocal ethos extends to Foot Locker’s global membership program, FLX, aligning the program worldwide with the region’s new identity.
Impact
Locally loved, globally scaled.
The new platform provides a clear and resonant foundation that scales across campaigns and seasons, proven to strengthen brand equity and deepen cultural relevance throughout EMEA. This clarity empowers local markets to shape their own narratives through neighbourhood-led storytelling and partnerships, contributing to an uplift in local relevance metrics.
