Australian luxury knitwear brand Cable will turn its pop-up shop concept into a permanent flagship store in January.
As well as recently launching a website and a new leather clothing capsule, owner Georgina Austin is busy preparing for the launch of the new store in Armadale, Melbourne.
Austin, who also has an outlet store in the Toorak suburb of Melbourne, initially took on a four-month lease of the Armadale Cable store back in 2008 in a bid to test the retail market.
“Beatty Avenue has always had enormous street appeal, so when the opportunity came about to rent an old hairdressing salon for four months we decided it could be a good way to showcase our relatively new brand - without the risk of committing to a long-term lease,” Austin said.
As the pop-up shop continued to trade well on a temporary rental arrangement, when Austin had the chance to enter into a secure lease from January 2012, at a premises just a few shops up, she jumped at the chance.
Austin, who has worked as a designer at Country Road and boutique label Nicholson, said the location is ideal as Cable has already established itself as a ‘destination store’ in the area.
“Having the opportunity to enter into a secure lease means we can now confidently build our presence and create a store fit-out that truly reflects our vision.”
She said the pop-up shop option appears to becoming a more popular option among emerging designers as it allows them to ‘test the waters’ before committing to a long-term lease - or to clear stock at the end of a season.
“I’m sure they will continue to open up across Australia - especially with the retail climate being so unpredictable at the moment,” Austin said.
Austin, who has recently sourced lambskins from Italy to make a luxurious capsule of fashion jackets and vests, said it also felt like a natural progression to add high-quality leather products into her latest collection.
