RAINS OPENS AMSTERDAM FLAGSHIP STORE

Summary:

• Rains opens 123-square-meter flagship in Amsterdam's Canal District, designed by Stockholm-based studio Stamuli
• The store introduces a global retail concept featuring continuous tiled grids, custom furniture, and skylight-inspired LED installations
• The Amsterdam location precedes planned openings in Stockholm and Hamburg as Rains expands

Rains has opened a 123-square-meter flagship store in Amsterdam's Canal District this October. The contemporary lifestyle brand worked with Stockholm-based studio Stamuli to create what the company calls a global retail concept for its physical spaces.

The Amsterdam store marks the first implementation of this new design approach. Rains plans to open additional locations in Stockholm and Hamburg using the same framework.

Stamuli designed the concept around a continuous grid of tiles covering both floors and walls. This structure organizes the space while allowing for flexibility across different locations. The studio combined concrete, steel, glass, and textiles with focused lighting and custom furniture pieces.

"For Rains, we designed a global concept defined by a continuous grid of tiles on floors and walls, a structure that organizes the store while allowing adaptability", says Emanuele Stamuli, CEO of Stamuli. "Concrete, steel, glass, and textiles are combined with precise lighting and bespoke furniture, where every detail is built to last."

The design reflects what Rains describes as its dual identity: urban industrial paired with outdoor elements. The tiled pattern creates a spatial rhythm that guides customer movement through the store. All furniture pieces were custom designed by Stamuli to align with the brand's identity, particularly its HOME AWAY product line.

Material choices balance industrial and softer elements. Brushed steel fittings, textured glass, and geometric tile patterns appear alongside textural additions. The color palette moved from darker tones to a more refined range, anchored by yellow chosen for visual impact.

LED installations mounted in the ceiling mimic skylights, creating an impression of a changing sky. Rains kept the screen resolution low to maintain what they describe as a raw, brutalist aesthetic.

The store opening coincides with Rains' expansion beyond apparel into homeware. The brand positions itself as serving city-based lifestyles with products that bridge indoor and outdoor use.

"Our stores are conceived as more than retail spaces. They are the truest expressions of the brand", says Daniel Brix Hesselager, Founder and CEO of Rains. "To us, they're opportunities to educate our consumers about our world of the urban outdoors."

Hesselager explains the concept reflects the company's Scandinavian origins through functional design and durable materials, combined with what he calls the brand's futuristic industrial DNA. The standardized concept allows Rains to replicate the store design across multiple markets as the company increases its focus on physical retail.

The Amsterdam flagship sits in the Canal District, a historic area with significant foot traffic from both locals and tourists. The 123-square-meter space provides room for Rains to display its expanding product range across apparel, accessories, and home goods.

Stamuli, based in Stockholm, specializes in retail and hospitality design. The studio's work for Rains emphasizes durability and longevity in materials and construction. Every element, from the tile grid to the custom furniture, was built for long-term use across multiple store locations.

The tiled grid system serves both aesthetic and functional purposes. It creates visual consistency while allowing individual stores to adapt layouts based on local space constraints and product mix. This flexibility means the concept works for different store sizes and configurations.

Retail remains increasingly important for Rains as the brand grows. Physical stores allow the company to control the customer experience and communicate brand values directly. The new concept provides a template for continued expansion into new markets while maintaining consistent brand presentation.

The Amsterdam store opened in October 2025. Stockholm and Hamburg locations will follow, though Rains has not announced specific opening dates for those stores.

Rains