THE SHOP AT STAMBA HOTEL CREATES A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR SHOPPING. HERE’S HOW. AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY – WHY.
Once you step into the Stamba Hotel and take right, your sight gets captured by The Shop: a dashing little space where peculiarity unfolds in the form of original, curated items. The main idea behind The Shop is to create a sustainable future for the shopping experience in Georgia. Before we learn how or why let’s find out where it all started.
The prologue of this story is set in 2014: the year when Rooms Hotel Tbilisi was opened in the capital of Georgia. The overall energy the new hotel radiated – it all really felt like… a movie. And to truly evoke the vibe of that “strangely cinematic hospitality experience,” the founding team of the hotel relied upon Tinatin Kvinikadze, one of Georgia’s most prominent costume designers in the film industry.
She developed the concept of uniforms for Rooms Hotel Tbilisi’s staff members, which gave the hotel even more of that dreamy vibe it’s famous for. Entering the industry with an ambition to be the trendsetter brand in Georgia, Tinatin fitted perfectly into the Adjara Group team.
As the years passed, Adjara Group continued to shape a narrative of modern Georgian hospitality by founding numerous brands, such as Stamba Hotel, which created yet another precedent of being an instant success for Georgians and international visitors alike. The same thing happened with Fabrika Hostel, which initially had massive storage of retro pins and fabrics that Tinatin brought to the atelier and gave them new lives. Evidently, opening those spots was met with even more demand for new uniforms and everyday hotel amenities such as bedsheets, tablecloths, curtains, and many others. That is when the Hotel Atelier took place in Stamba Hotel as the central design hub of the Adjara Group. And how Tinatin, once again, was approached to lead its development.
Full of colorful materials, threads, pins, thimbles, fabric samples, and whatnot, Hotel Atelier is an actual Eden for those passionate about art and design. There, tailors in distinctively bold pink outfits do their magic around the atelier to create everyday necessities for hotels and restaurants of Adjara Group and also bring into existence some of the most memorable uniforms that reflect the inner character of those people who create the collective personality of the brand.
But over the past year, it’s more than just uniforms Hotel Atelier works on. It’s concepts. And the core idea behind developing those concepts is very simple: not being wasteful. With the thought to be more conscious as humans and as creators, Adjara Group opened The Shop – a store that transforms shopping into an ultimately conscious experience. Inspirational roots go all the way back to Tinatin’s early days of being a costume designer.
“My soft spot was rummaging through some unique fabrics that were otherwise impossible to find in Georgia. I’d buy them for a super low price and turn them into something else. And if afterward there were some extra pieces left, I’d keep them.”
-Tinatin Kvinikadze, Head of Hotel Atelier
“In the 90s, thrifting in Tbilisi was one of my favorite activities. You could discover the most unexpected stuff in second-hand shops. My soft spot was rummaging through some unique fabrics that were otherwise impossible to find in Georgia. I’d buy them for a super low price and turn them into something else. And if afterward there were some extra pieces left, I’d keep them – perhaps I could turn them into an accessory months later, say, for a theater play. Or I’d set up those pieces to make a whole new clothing ensemble for myself or my friends. You never know. And almost always, those pieces of fabrics actually sparked up new ideas in my head.” – Tinatin explains her creative thought process. Old habits indeed die hard, as she still runs Hotel Atelier with the same principle.
Finding inspiration in leftover materials, Tinatin took her work to the next level and started making various accessories from the extra fabrics available. Soon enough, Adjara Group opened The Shop and started a new conversation about the importance of sustainability. Since then, The Shop has been putting forward fresh, tangible examples of modern upcycling in the form of clothes, accessories, toys, and more.
From natty jackets, tees, and shirts, to everyday necessities such as socks, boxers, and pajamas, the visitors of The Shop can find the most exquisite items there. Stuffed toys are still a big part of the everyday creative process in Hotel Atelier, as well as colorful hair accessories, both of which are available to purchase in The Shop. On top of that, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and other nifty stuff are showcased to explore.
The most notable thing about The Shop is that more than half of the products there are made with zero waste. Tinatin and her team envision the future of The Shop as a 100% sustainable, zero-waste space. As the world starts to understand the growing importance of sustainability, Adjara Group implements practical steps to accelerate Georgia’s smooth acclimatization with global cultural epiphanies.
Next time you pass by Stamba Hotel, make sure to check out what The Shop has to offer. It might be a nice little addition to your random afternoon stroll or one of the highlights of your week-long slow travel experience around the city.