Hylo Athletics opens pop-up at Harrods

London-based Hylo Athletics, the B Corp and vegan-certified sportswear brand founded in 2020 by ex-footballer Michael Doughty, has opened a summer pop-up at Harrods showcasing its innovative trainers and allowing customers to recycle their old trainers.

The pop-up, situated on the second floor, will run until July 31 and features a Hyloop recycling system, where customers can drop off any old trainers from any brand and receive a 20-pound Hylo credit to invest in a new pair made from materials such as sugarcane, corn, wood pulp and mushrooms.

The retail space itself has also been designed to showcase the brand’s commitment to circularity as all elements are either recyclable, biodegradable or reusable, explains Hylo. Each piece has been designed to be fully demountable, bound with a reusable strap system or mechanically fixed, instead of using glue so that they can be reused again.

To ensure low environmental impact and maximum visual impact, Hylo adds that the space features Hempcrete blocks, which have a positive carbon footprint, recycled circular cut foam, and wooden pallets made from recycled waste wood from sawmills used as plinths.

Michael Doughty, founder of Hylo Athletics, said in a statement: “As a digitally native brand, when we approach physical retail we use it as an opportunity to showcase our passion for innovative materiality and circularity.

“Harrods have been an incredible partner to bring our vision to life and ultimately encourage as many people as possible to join our community and mission to ‘Run Like The World Depends On It’.”

Hylo Athletics pop-up highlights its hero trainer styles, all designed using maximum use of natural and bio-based materials, including the ‘HyloLight’ designed as the perfect all-day shoe for an active lifestyle, the ‘HyloLegacy’ offering a traditional running silhouette with material science innovation, and the ‘HyloRun’ featuring the cushioning required for short to middle distance road running with the stability needed for the gym. Trainers start from 110 pounds.