East meet West

EAST
MEETS
WEST
Saks opens in Almaty with the flavor
of Kazakhstan and a taste of New York.
By Eric Feigenbaum,
New York Editor
Despite the growth in personal income among
Kazakhstan residents in recent years, the
young country lacked a major luxury retailer
— until now. With flights into the country
routinely filled with passengers carrying Saks
Fifth Avenue shopping bags, the company
knew the time was right to expand its brand to
this nation.
This Eurasian country, once part of the
Soviet Union, is now the ninth-largest i n
the world. W i t h its abundance of natural
resources — such as metals, minerals and oil it is the economic heart of Central Asia.
To begin establishing its brand in this corner of the globe, Saks Inc. (New York) and the
team at Hambrecht Oleson Design Inc. (Short
Hills, N.J.) provided their Kazakh partners
with an educational tour of New York retail
environments and an introduction to various Saks Fifth Avenue guidelines, including
ceiling heights, lighting levels and material
selection. According to design principal Karen
Oleson, "The design solution represents both a
respect for the culture and people of Kazakhstan and the design intelligence of Saks."
The 9 1,000-square-foot-store opened
last October in the Esentai Mall in Almaty,
Kazakhstan's biggest city. Its three floors of
luxury retail space blend Kazakstan's local flavor — including textiles, artwork and sculpture
- w i t h Fifth Avenue standards.
38 MAY 2013 I vmsd.com
This page For its new
Kazakhstan store, Saks
Fifth Avenue translated its
American elegance into a
Eurasian environment with
branded visual imagery
and departments that
are defined by pa
sandblasted m
Above The shoe
department - a variation
on the New York flagship's
huge installation - is
defined by surface
textures, luxurious seating
and the familiar Murano
glass bubble chandelier
Right The expansive
cosmetics and fragrance
area features an interactive
multi-brand presentation
and dedicated Chanel and
Dior brand shops.
"While adjusting for local market requirements,
the Kazakhstan store has many similarities with our
stores in the U.S.," says Saks' David Pilnick, senior
vp of international business ventures. "But unlike our
U.S. layouts, this store includes four 'tunnel stores,'
which are freestanding mono-brand shops that have
entry from the mall as well as the Saks store."
From entrances on the three mall levels, customers are drawn to the store by a silver mosaic wall that
serves as a backdrop for the highly recognizable Saks
square logo. Shoppers are led through an expansive
two-bay cosmetics department by a serpentine ceiling treatment highlighted b) illuminated crystal
strands suspended from oval shapes. A basket weave
lighting plan, with alternating straight bar fixtures,
provides the appropriate level of ambient light.
The focal point of the environment is
three-level escalator well visible from
within the store. Dancing above the well,
of crystal clouds suspended 27 feet from
evokes the ever-present clouds hovering
mountains surrounding Almaty.
40 MAY 2013 I vmsd.com
a dramatic
any point
a grouping
the ceiling
above the
Right The men's
department is
differentiated by hanging
bronze bead panels,
modern and retro
furniture and colorful
custom area rues
Below Kazakhstan's Saks
Café wraps around
the open escalator. It
features contemporary
black stone counters,
jewel-toned seating and
Kazakh patterned fabric.
Up the escalator is 10022 Shoe, the signature
department launched in the New York flagship in
2007. The same Murano glass bubble chandelier
found in the Fifth Avenue store highlights the residential furniture and textural feel of the department.
The Saks Café on the third level surrounding
the escalator well provides dramatic views to floors
below. The open eatery is bordered by string curtains
and appointed with sleek black stone counters,
a black mirror and white wood floors. A splash of
patterned Kazakh fabric on the columns and bright
jewel-toned seating are strong local references.
Suspended strands of beads are the common
thread that ties the environment together. While the
floor plan is open, each family of businesses is delineated by these see-through walls - strands of crystal
beads in women's areas, bronze beads for men's
departments.
VIP shopping clubs are an important part of the
store, too. The men's area has its own mall entrance
and its club is complete with a bar and flat-screen
TV, all in a setting of luxurious ebony wood. The
gates to the club are evocative of the inner workings of a clock. Designed by a Kazakh artist, they're
another example of East meets West in this onceremote corner of the world,
PROJECT SUPPLIERS
RETAItER
Saks Inc., New York
DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE
HambrechtOleson Design Inc.,
Short Hills, NJ.
FIXTURES
Orsep, Istanbul
MANNEQUINS/FORMS AND PROPS
Adel Rootstein, New York
Pucci, New York
Seven Continents. Toronto
Silvestri, Los Angeles
DECORATIVE LIGHTING
Line, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Bright Group, New York
Boyd Lighting, New York
Dekor Studio, New York
Moooi, New York
Neenas, New York
FURNITURE
Design Within Reach, New York
Blu-Dot, Minneapolis
Arteriors Home, New York
Michael Taylor, New York
AtelierD3, Mexico City
Orsep, Istanbul
Forafuil list of suppliers,
qo to vmsd.com.
vmsd.com | MAY 2013 41