BAKU, 20 August 2011 – We are delighted to announce that on 22 August a new concept store Emporium will open in Baku. The store is located at 153 Neftyanikov Avenue, Port Baku. In Emporium you will find everything to help you feel the pulse of modernity: the very latest in fashion, design, music and art; the most recent clothing collections from leading brands and young designers, unique perfume and cosmetic brands, progressive music, and special art publications. The store also has a lounge area and a cafe, and the Emporium art space promises to delight visitors with a series of exhibitions, talks, evening social events, and cocktail parties.

Sabina Christensen, the Emporium art director, describes the core concept: “The new store will be an opportunity to experience something new, something different from anything that has been before and from anything else around today. For us, the substance, the ideas and the presentation are very important. We are constantly in search of the newest, the most current and the most interesting things. There are not that many places like this in the world, [only] in Paris, London, Milan, New York, Tokyo. Baku is acutely aware of and receptive to trends. We are confident that our project will be a success.”

Emporium is an original project, developed by a creative group of professionals from various countries, uniting their shared passion for fashion, creativity, and art. The project philosophy is to constantly search for that which is new and current, and to create something unique. This is the second Emporium store. It is the largest project in its segment, and is considered pioneering.

The Japanese architectural firm Garde has transformed a 2500m2 three-storey shop into a genuine work of art, combining completely different styles in the one space: avant-garde, eclectic, minimalist and ethnic. Marble and perforated metal, sloped podiums and individually designed corners, navigation panels and huge screens: together, these features convey the spirit of modernity perfectly.

“For us, working on the Emporium project was something completely new,” says Garde architect, Yukio Ishiyama. “Although we have worked on projects ten times bigger than this one, in terms of its substance and concept, this project was uniquely innovative for us.”

At the front of the store, six windows and two enormous screens face Baku Bay, capturing even the most jaded imagination. The window displays were designed by the British studio Elemental UK. Their strategy was that each of the windows should have its own fashion theme, but, taken together, they would create the impression of a common trend.

“We approached this project not as a commercial project, but as an exclusively creative one,” says Elemental UK Projects Manager, Gloria Frampton. “It set our team alight. It was truly fascinating to approach the tiniest details as individual stories, developing each of them in full.”

The main accent pieces of the store interior are decorative, illuminated structures made of perforated metal, featuring designs inspired by traditional Azerbaijani motifs. The patterns were cut by laser into the metal at a BMW plant. All the elements of the interior were created specially for Emporium using sketches from Italian studios, including handmade chandeliers, minimalist leather sofas, and soft carpets.

The store is divided into thematic zones. The ground floor has women’s and men’s clothing collections, accessories, and a beauty department, offering fragrances and beauty products. The first floor has a clothing department, underwear, the café, and a personal shopping room. On the second floor you will find music, books and photography.

The new store carries more than 150 brands, with collections from the main catwalk trendsetters and also young designers from all over the world: Prada, Dsquared, Fendi, Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, Chloe, Givenchy, Balmain, Michael Kors, Victoria Beckham, Roberta Furlanetto, Mary Katrantzou, Faith Connexion, Rag and Bone, Vince, The Row, twenty8twelve by Sienna Miller, and Ksubi.

Emporium will give you a completely new view of fashion. It will be the first store in Baku to carry such intelligent brands from Belgium, the US, Japan, France, England and Italy as Mantu, Tory Burch, Peter Som, Yigal Azrouel, Amen, Christopher Kane, Carven, Haute Hippie, Dries Van Noten, Carlos Miele, Roland Mouret, Herve Leger, Sakai, Marios Scwab, Derek Lam, Simon Spurr, and Thom Browne.

Of course, the dedicated zones deserve special mention: denim, footwear and accessories, and underwear. In Emporium’s denim section, you will find the must-have international jeans brands: AG Jeans, Edwin, J Brand, LGB, Superfine, Made and Crafted, and Naked and Famous. In the underwear section, you will be pleasantly surprised to see collections from Andres Sarda, La Perla, Chantal Thomas, and ID Sarrieri.

Talking about her work for Emporium, Anna-Maria Mozelli, a visual merchandising specialist, said, “Emporium has become a unique place. On the one hand, it is conceptually complete, but on the other hand, it is completely free and diverse. Before the project started, I visited Baku for the first time, at the invitation of Emporium. I was bowled over by the feeling of freedom and variety. When I was working for Alexander McQueen, I was energised by the designer’s ideas and I transmitted their force into my own compositions. Here, I sense even more possibilities, more ideas.”

The perfume and cosmetics department offers unique brands, available in Baku for the first time. The niche perfume, cosmetics and beauty product brands include: Juliette Has a Gun, Kilian, Penhaligon’s, Becca, Odin, Philip B, The Different Company, Boadicea, Dr Sebagh, and Anne Semonin.

In the book department, customers can choose special publications about fashion, photography, travel and lifestyle trends. In the lounge zone, you can listen to little-known musical compositions and music mixes, and put together your own playlist. A DJ will even play special sets from Emporium for you. In the cafe with its view of the sea, you are sure to enjoy the exclusive selection of teas, coffees, and sweet treats.

The Emporium team is constantly in search of the newest, the most current and the most interesting things for you. Immerse yourself in a source of inspiration, created especially for you. We share your creativity and curiosity. Share with us your passion for fashion in all of its forms!