Of the many fascinating stops along the historic Silk Road, the transcontinental trading route that connected ancient and early modern Asia with Europe, the city of Almaty is perhaps one of the most exciting. Today, it’s Kazakhstan’s largest city and the second biggest in all of Central Asia, with a population of 2 million people exceeded only by 2.6 million people in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. At the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains, Almaty is a vibrant center of commerce and culture, known for how it blends Soviet-era architecture with trendy neighborhoods, glitzy boutiques, and celebrations of time-honored crafts on street corners beside fashionable cafés and dining establishments.
Plus, with the inaugural Kazakhstan International Textile Machinery Exhibition coming up in April 2026, the Kazakh city is rising to be one of Asia’s top destinations for ingenious craft and design—all the more reason to go shopping in the city before hitting the country’s boundless and majestic natural landscapes. Here, we round up the addresses to know, whether you’re in the market for eye-catching garments inspired by traditional folk costumes, quirky ceramics, or kitchen utensils handcrafted from felled local karagach elms.
A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller UK.
Korkem Experience
In a powder yellow building near Almaty’s historical Golden Quarter, Korkem Experience is a perpetual work in progress. Each season, both the shop’s elaborate decor and its collection of clothes, jewelry, homeware, and perfumes receive a top-to-bottom makeover to fit a new theme. Recent inspirations include Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream—featuring glittering chandeliers, vintage silverware, and an antique cabinet overflowing with shimmery chapans lined with ikat-printed silk from Uzbekistan—and the seaside, which brought an artificial beach, sailor-inspired tunics and knitted fishing nets draped from the ceiling. These displays are supplemented by a permanent collection of flouncy dresses from the in-house Steppe Roses label and other products, from linen place mats by Latvian brand Truffle Bee to woven Madagascan reed bags that owner Assel Tatisheva has picked up on her travels.
Synesthesia Concept Store
A few doors down from Korkem Experience, Synesthesia Concept Store is home to a flower shop, cosmetics boutique, and ice cream parlor serving up scoops flavored with sea buckthorn, lavender or Uzbek pistachios.
Moonshuaq
The couple behind Moonshuaq, Álisher Baqyt and Erkenaz Aqtileuova, want to transform Kazakhstan’s folk costumes for special occasions into casual outfits for everyday wear. From the brand’s subterranean shop, half-hidden in the basement of a block of flats, the designers sell slouchy jackets with colorful embroidery inspired by Central Asia’s ubiquitous chapan overcoats, and windbreakers printed with eye-popping oyu-ornek (ethnic-ornamental) patterns. Taqiyah (traditional skull caps) get a modern makeover with embroidered velvet and silver chains; chunky bracelets and mismatched earrings combine ceramic oyu-ornek charms with pearls, jewel-toned beads, and neon-colored climbing rope.
Beepl Space
Even though the Beepl Space shop, with its straw ceiling and timeworn wood, looks like a blast from the past, the wares on sale are decidedly design-forward. A platform for local creatives, it brings together a genre-crossing mix of fashion, homeware and accessories it describes as “neo-Kazakh.” Products range from knitwear by Metaironia; local brand Tamyr’s bag charms and sharp-cut takes on traditional Kazakh garments; and bracelets by Almaty-based Ozin, which fuses the region’s folksy silver jewelry with Y2K-inspired beadwork.
Forma
In the industrial bowels of a–Soviet-era printworks on leafy Gagarina, Forma emerges as a light at the end of a tunnel. Part of a new wave of creative businesses that have taken over a share of the complex in recent years, this ceramics atelier produces tableware for some of the top restaurants and cafés in the city, including contemporary Kazakh restaurant Auyl. On the shelves of its light-flooded showroom lie leftovers from orders—duotone teapots, rough-edged plates and mugs glazed like swirling marble—next to small-batch collections of its playful designs, all shaped, baked and glazed in the workshop across the hall.
Dunie Studio
Dunie Studio, an all-women multidisciplinary design collective, has its fingers in many of Almaty’s smartest pies. The team master-minded the creative direction of clothing line Erke Moms, developed products for yurt-inspired homeware brand Yourta, and designed packaging for TruNomad, a Kazakh natural skincare label. With the recent opening of Spazio Dunie next to its office in a Soviet mansion on Tchaikovsky Street, the group now has a creative outlet to call its own. The collection of limited-edition ceramics, shirts, and textiles draws on the studio’s in-depth knowledge of Central Asian traditions and crafts. Standouts include soaped-wool tekemet rugs covered in scribbly figures, hand-painted kese teacups, and louche overshirts with color-blocked patterns that nod to traditional quraq körpe quilts.
VW Home
Founded by Alyona and Alexey Lezhanina in 2021, VW Home feels cosy from the get-go. A carpenter by trade, Alexey uses the snug, light-filled space as a shoppable showroom for the wooden cutting boards and bowls he makes from felled local karagach elms. Alyona draws on her talents as a textiles designer to create waffle-patterned towels, dishcloths, and candles made from natural materials, and to source products such as woven baskets by local homeware brand Uige.
BBSR
A short drive away from VW Home is the atelier of husband-and-wife duo Altynay Murzabekov and Dias Murzabekov. The pair work with Kazakh illustrators on an ever-changing collection of silk scarves and twillies for their accessories label BBSR (a nod to their daughter’s name, Bibisarra). The kaleidoscopic designs in colorful, playful prints riff on Central Asian folk tales.
Tartpa
Taking its name from the Kazakh word for “drawer,” the living room-like Tartpa sells postcards, notebooks, shirts, and printed posters made by a crew of local creatives. Founded by designer Aizhan Baitimbetova and children’s author Symbat Omarkulova as a way to connect Almaty artists with an audience, the shop stocks a wide collection of quirky prints by makers such as illustrator Aziza Kireyeva and collage artist Perizat Suleiman. Subjects range from tongue-in-cheek Kazakh wordplays to colorful renditions of local landmarks such as the Green Bazaar or Television Tower, and the store’s collaborative ethos means that artists receive royalties for every purchase.
