MAAP Opens Doors to Latest Flagship LaB Store in the Heart of Berlin
- MAAP's second European store now open in the German capital
- Launch of Berlin LaB marks the fifth MAAP LaB retail concept store to open this year
- A continuation of MAAP's journey to foster engagement with the cycling community around the world
Decmber 2024, Melbourne: Melbourne-based cycling apparel brand MAAP has opened its latest LaB retail concept store in Berlin, Germany. The second European store and sixth worldwide marks the continuation of MAAP's global focus on community, growth and retail footprint expansion. The new store embodies the brands commitment to design and performance along with a deep passion for a Life around Bikes, emphasising real world connections within local communities that spur on creative expressions on and off the bike.
MAAP's LaB or 'Life around Bikes' concept aims to redefine the retail experience by crafting spaces that mirror the essence of their local environment, fostering community engagement and meaningful connections. Like other LaB's around the world, the Berlin store is uniquely tailored to its surroundings while sharing a consistent design language that makes it instantly recognisable as a beacon of the MAAP brand.
The Berlin LaB is a dynamic communal space for cyclists, celebrating the culture, art and innovation of the sport of cycling. A hub for everything from events and group rides to in-store activations and exclusive kit drops, all thoughtfully curated to reflect the culture and vibrancy of the local Berlin cycling community.
The flagship MAAP LaB opened in Melbourne in 2022, with the concept arriving in Europe in Amsterdam earlier in 2024. Since then three more stores have been opened in the APAC region, firstly Seoul, then Singapore and Hong Kong, with Taipei opening its doors before the end of the year.
With its Berlin store MAAP reaffirms its commitment to the European market, challenging industry trends that have seen brands move away from the high street to focus efforts online. For MAAP, physical retail expansion presents the opportunity to connect with riders and communities in ways that wouldn’t otherwise be possible in the digital age.
Speaking about the bringing the MAAP LaB concept to Berlin, co-founder Oliver Cousins said: “Berlin is a city renowned for its thriving creative communities and increasingly as a city with a rich cycling culture, so when we were looking for our second European location it was top of our list"
"The LaB concept is all about building real life connections with the cycling and creative communities in a way that reflects each location's local identity. In a city like Berlin with such abundant creativity we know that those connections are going to foster some incredible results."
"Acting as a hub for group rides, events and collaborations with local brands, we're aiming for our Berlin LaB to become a key reference point in the city's cycling and creative stories."
MAAP LaB Berlin officially opened on Friday 29th November with a launch party and exclusive in-store activations, and will be followed by MAAP LaB Taipei before the end of the year. Further stores are set to open worldwide in 2025.
The growth of MAAP’s LaB footprint will not impact the brand’s established and growing network of key wholesale retail partners but work in tandem to deliver high quality, localised experiences around the world.
Each LaB will have its own subdomain on MAAP’s website as well as its own social media presence. MAAP LaB Berlin can be found online here and on Instagram here.
A full collection of images can be found here.
About MAAP
MAAP was established in 2014 to develop the art and progression of cycling through a considered approach to style, innovation and performance. With a fresh blend of bold patterns and technically advanced performance fabrications, MAAP’s products are designed for a global community of cyclists pushing their training, racing and adventuring to ever greater levels.
Chris Terry