Australian suiting brand M.J. Bale has opened a new national flagship store at 1 Martin Place in Sydney’s heritage-listed GPO (general post office) building.
Located on the northeast ground floor of the GPO, at the corner of Pitt Street and Martin Place, the flagship features original 8-metre-high ceilings, ornate gold gilded and marble wall finishes, graphic black and white floor tiles and timber floorboards.
"We're proud to bring M.J. Bale to the iconic No. 1 Martin Place, which is 150 years old this year," M.J. Bale founder and CEO Matt Jensen said.
“The store has an uptown feel and brings the type of big city energy we’ve been looking for.”
The Sydney GPO opened in 1874, although construction began on the building in 1866. It was designed in a neoclassical style by architect James Barnet, built using sandstone from Pyrmont and granite from Moruya.
Mandy Edge of Mandy Edge Design Studio designed the store interior, working from a concept of 'menswear as theatre.’
The interior is divided into two sub-spaces: a deconstructed outer perimeter space that will feature M.J. Bale's casual and tailored ready-to-wear collections and an inner perimeter dedicated to formal tailoring and appointments.
Elements of the store include vintage furniture, sculptural pieces and timber cupboards backlit with subtle lighting, as well as mirrored openings. The design is inspired by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and Milanese theatre sets of the 1930s.
M.J. Bale will sell its core range at the new flagship, including the Kingston single-source Tasmanian Merino wool range and its new autumn-winter 2024 collection.