Longer-term residents in Almaty will remember the sports facilities, by 2012 already fallen silent, that stood at the crossing of Dostyk Avenue and Zholdasbekov Street, their fading memory replaced by one of the liveliest destinations in the whole of Kazakhstan – Dostyk Plaza.
Dos is the Kazakh word for friend and dostyk means friendship, aptly, in that this is one of the most happening places in the city, often full of friends doing the shopping centre thing: cinema, cafe, food court, retail therapy, lunch.
Yesterday, it marked the occasion of its 12th anniversary – a neat show called Saken Zhaxybayev Fashion Day with an open event, but also an exclusive behind closed doors which featured a private screening of his capsule collection.
Celebs and influencers lined the catwalk as the various shops and boutiques with a retail presence in Dostyk Plaza presented their famous looks, new collections, and a few surprises.
During the day, shoppers were able to take advantage of free make up and a professional photo shoot in exchange for making a few purchases, while the tickets to the exclusive were available to people who had bought goods totalling 100,000 tenge or more during the period from 24 August to 11 September.
The participating stores read like a who’s-who of global fashion retail and make a list too long to add, but with Zara, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Massimo Dutti an integral part of Dostyk Plaza, it was always going to be a good show.
