Pioneering a forward fashion style in a market generally fixated on shiny logos and unadulterated prestige, Olga Karput has come a long way. As the founder of km20, or Kuznetskiy most 20 in full and also the address of her edgy concept store-cum-café in the heart of Moscow, she’s helped to break the fashion mold, introducing progressive styles and a slew of hot foreign labels and young homegrown talent. Thanks to Karput’s adventurous retail vision, the store consistently presents tightly edited merchandise – read: mixing avant-garde brands with streetwear and on-trend items lifestyle items – in a matching retail setting, garnering an ever-growing following and recognition both home and abroad.

And now, eight years on, the fashion retailer has embarked on a new journey, relocating her store to much bigger premises. The new location, also in the upscale shopping district of Tverskaya, is just a few blocks away, and allows km20 to go full throttle, using its full potential as a leading concept store. The venue’s interior, measuring an impressive 2,500 sqm. set across three floors, is a collab design by young Muscovite practice Novoe and architect Maria Kachalova. The newly built structure shows off its bare shell, creating a backdrop that’s raw, utilitarian, and obviously ideal for playful interventions.

Counterbalancing this challenging aesthetic, is the poured concrete flooring which extends across the premises, and which also forms the perfect blank canvas for km20’s numerous retail installations and settings. And speaking of which, there’s quite a few, featuring a wild abundance of custom-made furnishings, props and fixtures, and some have even been created in collab with the fashion designers and brands whose coveted items they display. The ground floor is home to streetwear and a prerequisite accompanying section for niche sneaker brands and sneaker editions.

Additionally, a wide selection of accessories, lifestyle books and magazines can be found here, and an exclusive corner with merchandise by Berlin-based publishing house 032c, the very first of a series of collab initiatives of the store. one floor up, the apparel collections can be found across a several installations, including some branded ones. Striking examples include sports arena-inspired setting of cult designer and comme des garçons protégé Gosha Rubchinskiy, and a roman temple-like structure, captured by a steel frame and wire mesh in fluorescent blue, entirely dedicated to Off-White’s latest collection.

Also situated on this floor, and only available to the most discerning of clients, is an exclusive V.I.P. room. the brand list of km20 remains very much ahead of the curve, and also features brands such as Vetements, Common Projects, Proenza Schouler, Ambush, Lemaire and Christopher Kane, in addition to a roster of exclusive special item releases. and since power shopping remains an exhausting activity, km20 also brought along its popular km20 café. It has found a home on the third floor, and comes with an outdoor terrace. And given the store’s forward attitude, it serves plentiful of light, healthy bites and a ditto range of juices, and coffee and tea options.

Design: Novoe and Maria Kachalova
Photography: Pavel Kryukov

https://superfuture.com/supernews/moscow-km20-store-relocation