Communication strategy of KM20

KM20 is a multi-format concept store founded in Moscow in 2009 by Olga Karput, one of the most influential figures in global fashion according to The Business of Fashion. It is located in Stoleshnikov Lane in the heart of Moscow and spans 2,500 sq. m. across three floors, housing a fashion retail space, a sneaker zone, a gallery, and a restaurant with a terrace. KM20 is not simply a retailer — it is a cultural institution. In 2017, Highsnobiety named KM20 the best concept store in the world. The store is known not only for its curated selection of clothing brands but also for its fashion events — from exhibitions to concerts — held each season, and for introducing Russians to dozens of new fashion brands.

Thus, its core positioning can be described as not just a store — a community. KM20 positions itself as a space where fashion, culture, and human connection converge. KM20’s target audience: fashion-forward urban consumers aged 18–35, predominantly based in Moscow. They are culturally engaged, digitally active, interested in streetwear and high fashion, seek exclusivity and belonging to a creative community.

The KM20 buyer team does not cling to established names — they drop brands that have outlived themselves and support promising, lesser-known labels. This curatorial boldness attracts a sophisticated, trend-conscious audience that values authenticity over mass-market appeal.

KM20 operates across several communication platforms, each serving a distinct purpose within the brand’s broader communication strategy. Notably, the brand does not employ mass-audience channels such as outdoor advertising — a deliberate choice that itself communicates exclusivity and reinforces the brand’s identity as a curated, community-oriented space. Firstly, KM20 has several social networks (such as Instagram* (*Instagram is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation), Telegram and VKontakte) to share information about fashion campaigns, collaboration in the field of art, event announcements lifestyle Images and community-oriented content. Communication is very visual and helps to attract an audience. Another online communication channel being used by brand — its website. For the store’s 15th anniversary, KM20 partnered with the Embacy team to create an online shopping experience that reflects their avant-garde ethos — a clean yet edgy layout mirroring KM20's unique blend of sophistication and street style.

KM20 also uses some Offline PR channels: for example, direct communication through events — brand positions itself as a community — people come not only as buyers but to socialize, to be part of a circle that the store has built over its years of existence. Seasonal events, brand dinners, and designer meet-and-greets are key communication tools. Last but not least, influencer collaborations is another way for brand to communicate with customers. KM20 works with designers and cultural figures (Gosha Rubchinskiy, Raf Simons, Off-White, etc.) creating co-branded narratives that extend the brand’s cultural reach.

The first theory through which brand communication can be analysed is Semiotic Tradition, which, as outlined by Robert T. Craig (1999), understands communication as the process of sharing meaning through systems of signs. Representation and transmission of meaning is always given through signs and symbols — a principle illustrated by the contrast between luxury brand aesthetics and mass-market advertising, both of which encode culturally specific meanings without explicitly naming them. Within this tradition, Roland Barthes (1957, 1967) provides the most analytically precise framework for examining how brands construct meaning.

Barthes argues that signs operate on two successive levels. At the first level — denotation — a sign carries its literal, surface meaning. At the second level — connotation — that same sign accures cultural and emotional associations that are not explicitly stated but are nonetheless legible to a socially positioned reader. It is at this connotative level that the ideological work of brand communication is performed. When connotations become sufficiently naturalised and no longer perceived as constructed but as self-evident — they solidify into what Barthes calls myth: a third-order semiotic operation through which historically contingent cultural values are presented as simply «the way things are». This framework is particularly useful for the analysis of KM20 because the brand’s communicative output is a dense system of signs. Every curatorial decision, visual, caption, and collaborative partnership functions not only as product communication but also as a contribution to an ongoing mythological project.

The second theory we have chosen is dialogic. It was developed by Michael Kent and Maureen Taylor in 1998 as an answer to one fundamental question: can the Internet become a space for a real dialogue between an organization and its audience, or will it remain just a new channel for the old one-way communication?

The theory grows out of a broader PR tradition, primarily Relationship Management Theory and the four Grunig models, where two—way symmetric communication is considered ideal. But Kent and Taylor went further: They are not just talking about a two-way exchange, but about the quality of this exchange. Not every response to a comment is a dialogue. A real dialogue requires a special relationship ethic.

The central idea of the theory is that dialogue is not a technique or a tool, but a philosophy. An organization that practices dialogue does not try to convince the audience that it is right. It’s genuinely open to being changed by the conversation itself. This fundamentally distinguishes dialogical communication from rhetorical or persuasive communication — one always has a predetermined goal, while here the goal emerges through the process.

The theory describes five characteristics that make communication truly dialogical. They don’t work individually — it’s a system where each element supports the others. KM20 is interesting because all five principles are visible in its strategy — not as a result of consciously following theory, but as an organic consequence of how Olga Karput understands her business. At the same time, it is important to note one limitation: dialogic theory in its classical sense also requires concrete online dialogue tools — dialogic loop on the website, regularly updated content, the opportunity to ask a question and get an answer. KM20 has strong offline communication, but how consistently it works online is a separate question.

At the denotative level, KM20's digital communication presents a relatively legible set of referents: clothing, editorial photography, new arrivals, event coverage, and brand collaborations. Posts denote products and cultural moments. A telling example is the collaboration with Raf Simons for the store’s 10th anniversary in 2019: at the denotative level, the object is a black tote bag bearing a yellow rose print and the KM20 logo in calligraphic script. Yet at the connotative level, the object communicates something else entirely — this was Raf Simons' only collaboration with a retailer worldwide, and that fact alone transforms the accessory from a product into a sign of belonging to an exclusive circle.

The visual language KM20 deploys across its channels — raw industrial interiors, deliberately non-glamorous editorial styling, a consistent juxtaposition of streetwear and high fashion — connotes a specific and carefully constructed set of cultural values: authenticity, insider status, curatorial authority, and a studied distance from conventional luxury aesthetics. This logic is made tangible in the collaboration with Los Angeles-based brand Alexander DiGenova: the capsule featured deliberately distressed hoodies and t-shirts bearing the Cyrillic print «ВОДКА» — the simulated wear and studied anti-aesthetics are not incidental, but function as signs encoding distance from gloss and allegiance to a different, more authentic value system.

The brand’s aesthetic communicates not through explicit statement but through the accumulated weight of its sign choices: this is not for everyone, and its exclusivity is precisely its value. This connotative register is consistent across platforms, suggesting that the sign system is deliberately maintained rather than incidentally produced. As a result of communication, the myth is created that exclusivity naturally means cultural value and excellent taste. Consumers are encouraged to associate rarity with importance and status.

At the mythological level, KM20 constructs a powerful cultural narrative: that shopping here is not consumption, but cultural participation. The brand positions itself as a community — a circle that people join not merely as buyers but to communicate and belong. This is the myth at work: the act of purchasing is transformed into a sign of belonging to Moscow’s creative elite. Moreover, KM20 uses social media not only to broadcast messages, but also to encourage interaction which supports the dialogue and allows the audience to contribute to the communication process. The launch of a YouTube series on fashion and style — with the members of Cream Soda appearing as guests in the first episode — illustrates how the brand produces cultural content in which the audience sees itself not as the target of advertising, but as a participant in a broader conversation about contemporary culture. Instead of acting solely as consumers, subscribers become members of the brand’s community.

This myth is reinforced across every sign system the brand deploys — the curation of brands, the architecture of the space, the language of captions, the choice of collaborators. The buyer team constantly refreshes the brand list, dropping names that have lost their relevance and elevating promising unknowns — each such decision is a mythological statement: we define what is culturally legitimate.

In spring 2022, KM20 became the only store in the world to buy the full range of Dilara Findikoglu — a designer her peers in fashion retail had not yet noticed. By summer, the entire stock had sold out, and buyers from around the world were seeking partnerships with the brand. A similar logic governs the store’s relationship with Thug Club, a niche brand that appeared on KM20's shelves before it gained wider recognition. KM20 features limited edition products, niche designers, and exclusive collections. As a result of communication, the myth is created that participation in modern fashion culture reflects cultural awareness and intellectual sophistication. Consumers are encouraged to perceive the consumption of fashionable clothes as an expression of cultural knowledge, and not just as a purchase decision.

The first principle, interdependence, is the most fundamental to the KM20 identity. The store has never positioned itself as a retail outlet that sells clothes to customers — it presents itself as a cultural institution that exists alongside and because of its audience. This is not marketing language — it is a structural commitment to the idea that the organization and its public are interdependent and shape each other over time.

The second principle propinquity is manifested in how KM20 consistently creates shared physical spaces where communication takes place in real time. The most significant example is the worldwide launch of the first complete collection of Heron Preston AW17 collection «For You, The World» in 2017. Moscow was chosen as the first point of the global tour — not by chance: Heron Preston was inspired by the Cyrillic alphabet, and it was here that the word «Стиль» originated, which became the hallmark of the collection. The event took place in the parking lot under the still unfinished building on Stoleshnikov — the space did not exist yet, but the conversation was already underway. That evening, Heron personally tattooed Стиль on anyone who wanted it, and Virgil Abloh played a DJ set: the boundary between the brand, the store and the audience literally disappeared. This logic of being present continues today — the restaurant on the roof of KM20 functions as a permanent gathering space. A recent example was the collaboration with the Planta Rossa brand: together they created two sets of dishes in the spirit of American diners, turning the restaurant from a place for food into a point of cultural expression.

The third principle, empathy, as understood by Kent and Taylor, is to create a climate in which any participant feels heard and equal. Theory calls this communal orientation: an organization is focused not on advancing its own interests, but on building a community. Olga Karput’s personality plays a key role here. She is not just a business owner, she is its face: she participates in the filming, personally negotiates with designers, gives interviews and openly talks about her tastes and solutions. This creates the feeling that there is a specific person behind the brand who believes in what she is doing, which means that the audience is in dialogue with the person, not with the corporation. KM20 implements this principle through a live meeting format: when Peggy Gou was brought to Moscow, visitors could talk directly with her about her Kirin brand. In both cases, KM20 did not control the conversation — it created conditions in which the conversation could happen on its own.

The fourth principle, risk, is perhaps what makes KM20 stand out the most. Dialogic theory asserts that real dialogue always involves institutional vulnerability: an organization cannot fully control where the conversation will go. KM20 has repeatedly demonstrated such openness. The spontaneous collaboration between Vetements and KM20 restaurant in 2021 — a branded burger on Vetements branded tableware — began with several messages in the messenger, without any guarantee of how it would be perceived. Within a few days, Highsnobiety and Hypebeast wrote about it. No less revealing is Karput’s public frankness about difficult moments, including an open conversation about the pressures of 2022. This is precisely the kind of institutional vulnerability that builds long-term trust rather than protects a short-term image.

The fifth principle, commitment, is divided into two levels by Kent and Taylor: commitment to conversation — the commitment to continue the dialogue, even when it is inconvenient — and commitment to interpretation — the willingness to truly listen to the other side before evaluating it. Both levels assume that dialogue is not a campaign with a deadline, but a long-term process. KM20 confirms this with fifteen years of working with the same community. Even under the conditions of geopolitical pressure, the store continued to bring American brands — Entire Studios, Praying and KidSuper — giving the audience a signal that the conversation would not stop. It was this sequence, rather than individual high-profile events, that became the basis of the reputation that in 2017 Highsnobiety rated it as the best concept store in the world.

KM20 demonstrates a rare internal coherence in its communication strategy. From a semiotic standpoint, the brand has constructed a durable myth — shopping as cultural participation, belonging to the store as a sign of taste and creative identity. This myth is reproduced across the entire sign system: curatorial decisions, visual language, the choice of collaborators. The collaboration with Raf Simons — his only partnership with a retailer — or the decision to be the first store in the world to buy the full range of Dilara Findikoglu in 2022: each gesture functions as a mythological statement that requires no verbal explanation. It is precisely the naturalised quality of this myth that attests to the semiotic effectiveness of the strategy.

From the perspective of Dialogic Theory, the picture is more complex. KM20 convincingly enacts the principles of mutuality, propinquity, and risk through its offline communication. However, its digital channels — Telegram in particular — operate primarily as broadcast media, providing no structural conditions for genuine two-way exchange. This tension between the brand’s dialogic self-presentation and the one-directional architecture of its online channels represents the primary limitation of the strategy.

1. Shift Telegram from broadcast to dialogue Dialogic Theory requires structural affordances for two-way exchange. Introducing regular interactive formats — audience votes on upcoming drops, open questions, community input on event programming — would move the channel from information delivery toward genuine participation, enacting the principle of propinquity: communication in the present, before decisions are made rather than after.

2. Consciously manage the myth’s evolution Barthes cautions that a myth which ceases to renew itself hardens into cliché. The recommendation is to periodically introduce new semiotic registers — documentary-style storytelling, narratives of uncertainty and reconsideration, user-generated content — without abandoning the brand’s established identity. This will keep the mythological framework vital rather than allowing it to collapse into self-repetition.

3. Translate the logic of offline dialogue into online space Offline events remain KM20's most powerful dialogic instrument. This logic should be systematically extended into digital formats: structures in which followers make real decisions — which brand to bring in, which collaboration to pursue. This is the enactment of Kent and Taylor’s principle of empathy: the creation of a communicative climate in which every participant feels genuinely heard.