Slazenger x Sports Direct
See how D4R collaborated with Slazenger and Sports Direct to translate the brand’s elevation strategy into a distinctive new retail experience for Dublin.
Slazenger, since 1881
Modernising a heritage sports brand.
The brief
For Sports Direct Dublin, Slazenger set out to create a more elevated retail presence to support its evolving apparel and footwear portfolio. The project arrived at a pivotal moment for the heritage sports brand, as Frasers Group began repositioning Slazenger for a new generation, working with 23-year-old designer Alexei Hamblin to redefine how its sporting legacy could translate into contemporary culture.
Hamblin’s vision centres on reconnecting Slazenger with the prestige of its past while creating new relevance across sport, fashion and Gen Z culture.
D4R had the opportunity to translate this renewed brand identity into the physical retail environment, developing the concept and technical design intent for its first realisation at the new Sports Direct Dublin flagship.
Drawing on Slazenger’s longstanding British sporting and tennis heritage, the concept needed to feel unmistakably Slazenger while presenting its new direction through a more contemporary, premium lens. D4R developed a cohesive design language across men’s and women’s apparel and footwear, creating a stronger presence throughout the store.
IDEA
The ambition was to give Slazenger greater visibility and distinction within the Sports Direct environment, while translating the brand’s renewed identity into a physical space for the first time.
Working alongside the Slazenger and Sports Direct teams, D4R explored how heritage, product storytelling and a more refined visual identity could come together as one flexible retail system, adaptable across apparel, footwear and key launch moments. The concept was designed to flex between different configurations while maintaining a clear and consistent Slazenger language.
INSIGHT & STRATEGY
Rather than treating heritage as something purely nostalgic, the design translates it into contemporary spatial cues.
Slazenger’s signature forest green is paired with off-white detailing, illuminated branding and warm edge lighting, while chamfered forms introduce a confident and recognisable geometry.
References to the tennis court are woven more subtly through the experience, from court-line graphics and heritage-inspired flooring to elevated product platforms and framed launch zones.
Hero lightboxes, illuminated footwear displays and strong campaign imagery then bring a more editorial quality to the space, balancing sporting authenticity with the brand’s more elevated direction.
REALISATION
The completed concept creates a distinctive Slazenger destination within Sports Direct Dublin, bringing consistency across men’s and women’s apparel and footwear while allowing individual products and collections to take centre stage.
From the central launch zone and illuminated hero bays to branded gondolas, footwear displays and integrated campaign imagery, every element works together to give the brand greater presence and a more considered retail expression.
The result is a space that respects Slazenger’s sporting legacy while confidently signalling where the brand is heading next.
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