290 Square Meters Istanbul Opening

Amsterdam-based retailer 290 Square Meters recently opened its first shop in Istanbul on October 24. The venture comes as a partnership between Ido de Voos, who first founded 90 Square Meters and later 290 Square Meters in Amsterdam, and Ali – a previous Istanbul resident and creative at Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam.

Measuring exactly as much as its name implies, the space is located in the Galata area of the Turkish city and carries designer products including shoes, bags, clothes and handmade jewelry. Located upstairs just above the retail area is a niche full-service creative ad agency run by Ali and his friends that aims to connect consumers with quality brands.

Their belief in this personalized relationship is summarized on the brand’s website:

“The power is no longer in the hands of the big but the strength is in the hands of the small. In today’s world, creative agencies and their clients should be flexible and quick in interacting with their consumers and we like to be open & honest about telling their personal stories. For us, it’s crucial that what we’re doing matters — to ourselves, to the people we love and — ideally — to something bigger, whether our community, society or even humanity.”