Indigenous fashion label Ngali will open its first retail store in Melbourne Quarter tomorrow.
Speaking with Ragtrader, founder and Wiradjuri designer Denni Francisco said the new store marks the return of Ngali’s studio, which was lost during the pandemic.
“The landlord that we were subletting from, their lease finished,” Francisco revealed. “That meant that we had to as well.”
Francisco said that since then, Ngali continued to operate from a storage unit and at her home. Then Ngali was offered a new lease at Melbourne Quarter.
“I've always been looking for somewhere where there was enough space to do what we do from a studio point of view,” Francisco said. “But also to be able to have people that can come, that can see the product, try on the product, buy the product.”
“It gives us also the opportunity to meet customers to get feedback overall.”
Francisco said the new space offers potential to host First Nations events in the future.
According to the First Nations fashion designer, the attainment of this new space was supported through its connection with construction company Lendlease.
According to Lendlease, Melbourne Quarter is a commercial, residential, retail and cultural city neighbourhood located opposite Southern Cross Station. It is home to 40 retailers and hospitality venues, and is expected to accommodate 14,000 workers and 3,000 residents once complete in the coming years.
The Ngali studio is located within the Melbourne Quarter precinct at 24 Aurora Lane, Docklands.
Further brand expansion
Ngali is currently reviewing offers to participate in major runways in Europe and the USA in 2023 following its first-ever runway event at Milan Fashion Week earlier this year.
This is marked by a newfound collaboration with the Qantas marketplace as part of their loyalty program.
Ngali is also considering an invitation to join international eCommerce site Wolf & Badger.
Francisco said this is all part of the brand’s steady expansion.
“Our intention is not to have a series of retail stores,” she said. “We would like to continue to really amplify our eCommerce site, and our vision - on the bigger side - is actually being able to expand more into wholesale.”
In Australia, Ngali has five stockists; the National Gallery of Victoria, both Longitude 131 and Voyagers in Uluru, the Powerhouse Museum, and they will be launching another capsule collection with David Jones in November.
Francisco said that while she’s predominately focusing on international expansion, she sees resort areas in Australia as potential for growth locally.
“We think our products fit so very well in that space,” she said. “We can expand that out here nationally, and then look at how we take that to resorts internationally.”
However, the brand is not striving for a fast growth.
“We operate under the lens of ‘Yindyamarra’ and that's a Wiradjuri word that actually talks about us, you know, going slow, being reflective, treading lightly on country,” she said.
“It's not to rush things, it’s to bide time, because the pathway forward tends to show itself. That's really important part of our way of being as a business.
Ngali has been generating attention in both Australia and internationally, but Francisco said the brand needs to be mindful.
“Whilst it's great to get the attention, and it's great to get the positive feedback - which we're really grateful for - it is to sit quietly in that and reflect and see what comes to the surface.
“Because that will be the way forward.”