P448 has tapped former Nike executive Jordan Morrell as its new chief executive officer.

The Italian shoe brand said Morrell will be responsible for defining and driving P448’s next chapter of growth with the aim of increasing bottom-line profitability and establishing an operating model fit for scale.

“As we scale, I aim to deepen engagement with existing customers while attracting a new generation of brand loyalists through our strategic market focus and enhanced digital experience,” the newly minted CEO said.

Morrell joins P448 from Archipelago, where he served as senior vice president and chief product officer. In this role, he headed up design, product management, merchandising and development teams for a portfolio of consumer brands including OluKai footwear, Melin headwear, Roark apparel and Kaenon eyewear. Before Archipelago, Morrell was an entrepreneur in residence at Next Coast Ventures, where he raised seed stage funding to found and build a start-up consumer brand.

Prior to these roles, Morrell spent over a decade at Nike, most recently serving as vice president of strategy and operations and general manager of global Nike Design. His time at Nike also saw him serve in the role as senior director and general manager of North America of NIKEiD and Nike+ Digital Sport as well as the role of director of strategy and business development of Nike Direct in North America.

He began his career in investment banking with Deutsche Bank, then joined the Museum of Modern Art in New York and real estate developer Hines Interests.

The news comes at the same time that P448 debuts a fresh store design at its new flagship in Shanghai iAPM Mall.

Created in collaboration with acclaimed designer Woody Yao, the space takes the letters and numerals of P448 and reimagines them as “bold, volumetric forms,” the company said.

From display racks and seating to interior furnishings, all elements translate the brand’s logo, and by embedding the P448 form language into every touchpoint, the company said that the store “becomes more than a retail space — it becomes a three-dimensional brand statement.”

“Our philosophy at P448 is to never follow the straight and narrow — literally and figuratively,” Wayne Kulkin, creative director of P448, said in a statement. “We are elated to have this incredible new store design created by Woody Yao and anticipate this to have an immense impact on our brand, both in terms of awareness and in reflecting the same sentiment we put into our products.”

P448 started its expansion into China in 2024 with a dedicated Tmall shop and other owned retail stores in Beijing and Macao. Incorporating an experiential retail atmosphere complementing its Tmall presence, P448 noted that it has “embraced a direct-to-consumer retail philosophy and approach” to its China business model. The company also plans to evolve this model throughout the Asia-Pacific region, with South Korean and Taiwanese markets as its next phase of growth.

“The opening of P448’s Shanghai flagship marks a pivotal moment for the company’s journey within the Asia-Pacific region,” Morrell added. “As a key focus, China is a critical and integral market of the P448 expansion blueprint with Shanghai as a key city in our offense. We are proud of what this store means to our consumers, our business, and our future.”