American fashion brand Knickerbocker has just opened its second-ever store in Melbourne, Australia, over 16,000 kilometres away from its first store in New York.
The brand was initially founded in 2013 by Andrew Livingston, starting as a manufacturing company on the border of Brooklyn and Queens. Livingston had been making hats with the 60-year-old factory that he later took over, known as Watman Headwear Corp.
After taking over the space, including all the sewing machines, Livingston began making pieces for other brands while building its own label. In 2018, he shut down the factory amid a reassessment, and eventually relaunched the brand. Three years later, Knickerbocker opened its first store in New York City and ramped up a wholesale arm. Five years later, the brand’s second store was opened in Melbourne.
Livingston said the brand has a strong foundation in Australia already thanks to its partners at Pickings & Parry – a 13-year-old Melbourne-based fashion retail business.
“The response there has been consistent for years, so opening a store in Melbourne felt like a natural extension from that partnership rather than a leap,” Livingston said. “The Collins Street store gives us a way to present the product as intended and build something more permanent with the community there.”
Knickerbocker also runs a local website, stocking the brand’s premium collections across tops, bottoms and accessories, with prices ranging in the three figures. A standard tee can cost around $130 Australian, while a wool-based denim jacket stretches up to $795.
When asked how he intends to run both his New York City store and the new Melbourne store, given the distance between them, he said there are already systems in place. Chris and Carlan Pickings, from Pickings & Parry have been involved in the set-up and will continue to help going forward. There is also the appointment of a store manager named Matt.
“We approach retail in a measured way,” Livingston said. “The goal isn’t to overbuild, which I think comes from having clear design parameters, which should also be there to best represent the visual world of the brand.
“For a brand of our size, it also requires being scrappy and working with the right partners.
“In terms of management, it comes down to having the right people in place and clear systems. We’ve been operating internationally for a while now through production and distribution, so the distance isn’t new.”
According to Livingston, retail gives context to the product in a way that online can’t. He said it is easier to understand the weight of a fabric, the fit and how things come together when viewing in person.
“It also creates a point of connection with people who come in, spend time, and build a relationship with the brand. For us, it’s not either/or. E-commerce supports retail and retail supports e-commerce. But the store is where the brand is most fully expressed.
“The tangible experience, especially with brands in our realm, is more important than ever. As most other businesses have now cracked the code in terms of making product look great online, it’s important to offer a retail experience that can build trust more quickly than online.”
Looking forward, Livingston said he and his team are continuing to refine the product range. At the same time, he is building out operations in Portugal, where Kickerbocker’s manufacturing and warehousing is now based. This includes rolling out new private labels to build on Knickerbocker’s growth.