Cult Kiwi label resurfaces in Melbourne
The new Fitzroy shop, called Nom-D Inc, is actually the label's first stand alone store. Owner and designer Margarita Robinson has two retail shops in New Zealand called Plume but they stock a collective of labels, including Nom-D.
The label's current Australian stockists include Carmargue in Brisbane, Blondies in Melbourne (looks like all the Blondies stores) Poepke in Sydney, Periscope, Perth, spacejunk, Sydney, Von Troska in Sydney (all stores), Empire Rose stores in Melbourne.
"It's quite exciting to have a pretty much Nom-D only store," said Robinson. "We'll have a couple of other labels in, like Youth World and Zambesi, but it will be nice to have our full range on display."
The opportunity to open came unexpectedly when the owner of the site's former store, Zoology, told Robinson she was leaving.
"We had had a good relationship with Zoology and it had worked well for us so when we found out that the space was going to be available we made the decision to open up. Melbourne has been the most supportive Australian city of Nom-D, probably because they get a decent winter, and so we were fairly certain the concept would work there."
However finding the time to complete the fit out proved more difficult.
"We opened at the same time as I was going to Paris to buy for my stores so logistically it was quite hard to get everything done, especially from over here. We gave it the complete Nom-D makeover, making it quite white, industrial and minimal and each season we will be painting the main print from each range on the back wall."
The opening comes at a busy time for the label with Robinson just signing with a Japanese agent, Nicole Bargwana. The label has also contracted Elephant PR to help them with their presence in the Australian market.
Robinson said she is also considering showing at RAFW next year.
"I am really not supposed to be empire building at this stage of my career. But we'll just have to see what happens. I'm not planning any other new stores and because Nom-D is more of an underground label we are not at all interested in going mass market - we just like it when people discover us. It's taken a long time for Nom-D to get its first store so we are in no hurry for anything more."