JD Sports-owned Shoe Palace has announced Frank Cooke as creative director. In his new role Cooke will be in charge of partnerships, special make ups and collaborations. Cooke’s background includes stints at Wish Atlanta and Jordan.
Weighing in on his new role in an exchange with Footwear News, Cooke said, “I love what Shoe Palace has already done with their platform, having a different perspective, seeing the consumer as one and not putting things in a box, like this is specialty, this is mall kid. Everything should have a story, everything should have purpose behind it not only for the business to grow but for the industry to grow and see things as a whole.”
Shoe Palace was established in 1993 as a single store in San Jose, California and currently operates 160 stores. In December 2020, U.K.-based JD sports acquired Shoe Palace for $325 million. As part of the transaction, JD Sports also takes ownership of Nice Kicks. Founded in 2006 by Matt Halfhill, Nice Kicks stores and ecommerce site were purchased by the Mersho family in 2014.
