SYDNEY: After experimenting with pop up stores, e-commerce fashion community The Grand Social is set to launch a permanent bricks and mortar retail space.
The store is due to open mid-April and will be located in the central Sydney area of Darlinghurst on the corner of Crown Street and Liverpool Street.
Co-director Nick Gower said the store interiors will be designed by furniture designer Tomek Archer. It will stock independent Australian and New Zealand fashion designers and house an art exhibition space, photo shoot facility and offices for The Grand Social administration.
Gower said the focus would not be high volume turnover, but rather creating a space for consumers to learn about the brands, inspect product and become involved in artistic events.
"We are showing people why we have dedicated the last six years to pushing Australian fashion," he said. "We have supported the designers that should be supported."
Gower said lots of the fashion designers involved with The Grand Social have other creative pursuits such as art and photography. Exhibitions of their work are scheduled in the space until the end of the year.
A name for the store is yet to be confirmed. Price points for product will vary from low to high.
The Grand Social is an e-commerce portal for independent brands. It offers a central website through which the participating designer's collections can be viewed. It also creates individual websites for each label and facilitates sales. Brands involved include Chronicles of Never, Arabella Ramsay, Jayson Brundson, Alpha 60 and Romance Was Born.