Puma threw an invite-only soiree to celebrate the launch of their new "concept store" on Union Square in Manhattan and EMERGE was there not only drinking up the free Stoli cocktails and gobbling the mini-burgers and candied apples but working the ones and twos alongside broken beat DJ Jin Seow and Latin hip-hop DJ Center.

As for the store itself, Puma has not gone terribly far out on the creative limb in terms of concept. The store, the second Puma flagship in Manhattan and third Puma retail outlet if you count the decidely more conceptual Puma Black shop in the uber-hip Meatpacking District, does not sell limited product or even the higher end Puma product lines such as the brand's collaborations with Philippe Starck and Alexander McQueen, or their much-blogged about 96 Hours collection.

According to brand manager Barney Waters and marketing maestro Theo Keetel, the concept is one of modular design. All the wall displays are magnetic, allowing for impromptu reconfiguration of the store's displays. The store utilizes a collection of witty icons to define product categories and specific areas of the space. For instance, the handicapped bathroom features an icon of a wheelchair-bound fellow frantically cluthing at his waist in apparent desperation. A fingerprint reminds those waiting outside the fitting rooms to "Always Be Yourself."

Additionally, the checkout area is housed inside a shipping container, from which the magnetic idea sprang. The fitting rooms in the rear of the space are also converted shipping containers, touching upon the emergent trend for prefab structures and the ongoing fascination with global commerce and the role it has played in standardizing the kind of casual urban chic that is Puma's stock-in-trade.

Whereas Puma's first NYC flagship, just 17 blocks downtown on Broadway and Spring Street is a spartan bilevel space separated by a long and cramped stairwell, the new concept space is simply laid out and open, and serves as a much more effective showcase for the brand's ever expanding product offerings. However, Puma is first and foremost a sneaker company and their new shop does a great job of displaying a huge array of styles and colors on shelves stocked with the company's iconic red boxes and fit with sliding displays organized by footwear type.

While "concept store" may be a bit of an overstatement, the newest Puma store is a big step forward for the brand in terms of style and exectution and more fittingly showcases the wide range of styles and products they sell, from retro basketball sneakers to lesser-known offerings like womens snow boots and a brilliant theft-resistant bicycle produced in collaboration with Biomega. It will be interesting to see how they integrate the modular capacities of the new space into their merchandising efforts.

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