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Founded in 1960, FLO Group is a leading force in the Turkish footwear market with a strong global growth vision. Today, it operates over 800 stores across 25 countries in three continents, including the CIS, the Middle East, and North Africa. Through a multi-channel model, FLO Group serves customers in Türkiye with the brands Flo, Instreet, Nine West, Lumberjack, and Reebok.

With our 65-year-old history, we have pioneered the footwear industry and, under the leadership of researcher and writer Gökhan Akçura, we wanted to create a permanent, original, and authoritative archive on our industry. We wanted to bring the Footwear Dictionary to life. Our goal was to bring together the unknown, intriguing, and often overlooked stories of footwear.Our goal was to create a unique reference source that contributes not only to the history of the industry but also to cultural memory by bringing together the unknown, fascinating, and often overlooked stories of footwear.In this way, we could shed light on both the past and the future of footwear.

We defined our target audience as professionals in the footwear and retail sectors, cultural and artistic circles, the business world, academics, researchers, media representatives, and the wider public interested in cultural memory studies in Turkey.

Our communication strategy was defined as positioning the Footwear Dictionary as a cultural memory project and conveying its nature, which goes beyond being a sectoral publication, to stakeholders. In line with this, the dictionary was specifically distributed to experienced professionals in the sector, leading researchers in academia, opinion leaders in the world of culture and arts, and journalists. Thus, the work was presented to experts from different disciplines, positioning itself as a resource that both strengthens sectoral memory and can guide cultural discussions.

At FLO GROUP, we approached the Footwear Dictionary not merely as a production or retail object, but as a narrative element that bears witness to Turkey's social, cultural, and historical transformation.nbsp;The Footwear Dictionary, one of our projects to embrace the sector, goes beyond the traditional dictionary concept and relates technical terms to folklore, everyday life, popular culture, advertising language, and collective memory. The connections established by footwear with concepts such as class, identity, status, and belonging were made visible. This multi-layered approach brought together sectoral knowledge and cultural narrative on this scale for the first time, transforming the project from a brand publication into a lasting cultural memory project.nbsp;In doing so, we also set a precedent.

The Footwear Dictionary was brought to life through a comprehensive research process with the aim of transforming our 65 years of industry expertise into a lasting publication. The project began with archival searches, written and visual source reviews, and field knowledge. Under the editorial leadership of researcher-author Gökhan Akçura, historical accuracy, cultural context, and industry references were meticulously addressed.During the initial publication process, planned distribution to media, academia, cultural and artistic circles, and industry stakeholders was carried out to increase the visibility of the work. Subsequently, the dictionary was also promoted on LinkedIn, Instagram, and internal company channels, achieving organic visibility.

The Footwear Dictionary, as the most comprehensive resource prepared on footwear culture in Turkey, attracted great interest in sectoral and cultural circles. The Footwear Dictionary was initially sent to more than 400 people. It reached a wide audience by creating organic engagement on digital platforms; many opinion leaders, including academics and industry professionals, shared the dictionary on their social media accounts. The Footwear Dictionary strengthened FLO GROUP's corporate reputation while reinforcing its position in the industry.