W. “Zak” Hoke, Founder/Curator, Addicted To Retail/FutureShop, NYC
Wayne “Zak” Hoke is a multi-disciplinary retail experience designer, focused on delivering premium product presentation executions and elevated exhibition installations while driving strategic activations that are engaging to consumers.
Zak began his career at GAP with a passionate work ethic and visual aesthetic that allowed him to quickly go from sales to visuals. Zak was a member of GAP’s store opening team in Times Square while pursuing a degree in Fashion Merchandising Management at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
Zak’s visual sensibilities led him to Ecko Unltd., where he joined as assistant visual director and served an integral part in constructing (and later managing) Ecko Unltd.’s 1st shop-in-shop at Macy’s Herald Square. Shortly after, Zak was promoted to visual director and oversaw the installation of the Ecko, Zoo York and Complex magazine showrooms, offices, shop-in-shops and tradeshow pavilions. Promoted to the position of Retail Marketing Director, Zak implemented visual merchandising & retail marketing strategies for 30+ Ecko brand full-priced and factory stores nationwide.
Mr. Hoke later launched Garbege (later Double Helix Design), a private label fashion design agency. Out of which, GOMMI ARCADE was launched satisfying fans like Chris Brown and LeBron James with collaborations like the GOMMI ARCADE x Nooka “Future-Shock” watch, the GOMMI ARCADE x Sabit NYC varsity jacket series, and an animation short co-directed by Creative Control TV based on a sci-fi story written by Mr. Hoke.
Mr. Hoke has served as a member of NIKE Inc.’s Retail Brand Marketing team in NYC executing retail marketing & visual merchandising for NIKE Sportswear, Basketball and Action Sports. Zak was also lead partner in designing the NIKE Basketball “BLVD ICE” pop-up shop in NYC, and curating a window installation at NIKE’s 21 Mercer flagship store in SoHo, NYC.
Mr. Hoke is currently managing account marketing at ADIDAS and curates the Addicted To Retail blog.
SPECIALTIES
+Brand Experience Design
+Visual Merchandising
+Retail Store Design
+Creative Direction
+Retail Marketing
+Creative Writing
+Product Design
+Fixture Design
+Art Direction
+Packaging
+Blogging
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Aaron Carlsson. Creative Director. Industrial Designer. Problem Solver. Supreme Go-Getter., Portland, OR
Most recently the Agency Creative Director of Lifestyle & Sport retail focused projects at IDL Worldwide in Portland OR, with over 12 years of experience. He has led a diverse team of collaborators on projects for multiple Nike categories, Jordan Brand, Converse, The North Face, Nixon Watches, and Callaway Golf among others.
He has previously designed recognized products and experiences for Nixon Watches, Microsoft Kin and Zune, Roxy Snow, General Electric Appliances, Forum Snowboards and other leading lifestyle brands.
His work has been featured in Wallpaper, Stuff, Nylon, Details, GQ and across the blogosphere on Hypebeast, Forbes, Complex, Core77, NiceKicks, Addicted To Retail, Freshness Mag and Highsnobiety.
His claim to fame is having one of his Nixon design collaborations, The Analog Newton, featured on Kanye West’s blog.
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Carlos Aires, Creator & Principal, MARKETING-JAZZ, Madrid, Spain
Carlos Aires leads the design and creative development of new concepts for stores to increase sales. Creating campaigns and branding for store windows. Potentiometric visual merchandising and buying experience from the point of sale. Carlos offers expert advice on visual marketing and specialized training in visual merchandising for store personnel.
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James “Jimmy” Ozanne, Fashion Sales & Marketing, London, England
James “Jimmy” Ozanne works at the Carhartt WIP store in London, but is also engaged in a part-time internship at Blood Brother – a small menswear label based in Shoreditch where he’s a member of the wholesale & marketing team but also lends support to all aspects of the independent fashion brands business.
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Michael Tonge, Digital Strategist, Addicted To Retail (ATR); Founder, CLP, Brookyln, NY
Mike is a Brooklyn boy and recent graduate from Bucknell University. While receiving his degree in Cultural Sociology/Gender Studies he began ThecultureLP.com which now serves a creative media outlet for all things culturally progressive. Aside from his 9 to 5 as a business analyst, he enjoys providing digital and creative consultation, writing, listening to music of all kinds, and rooting for the Giants.
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Contact ATR Founder/Curator Zak Hoke via: ZakHoke [at] Gmail [Dot] Com for Consulting, Career Opportunities, New Ventures, Speaking Engagements, Market Travel (Retail Tours), Expertise & Referral Requests.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/ZakHoke
Portfolio: ZAKHOKE.COM
*The views expressed on this website/weblog are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
