Melbourne-based luggage brand July has expanded rapidly since launching in 2019, opening 14 locations across the country. Now its flagship in Albert Coates Lane at QV is set to triple in size, with the revamped store due to open this winter.
Co-founder Athan Didaskalou says the expanded address “will be our last store in Oz”, as the brand plans to open permanent hubs in Singapore and Malaysia by the end of the year. “What I want to see is (growth) in international markets,” he says. “We’ve had Zimmermann, we’ve had Aesop. I’d love for July to be the next big Australian export brand.”
Didaskalou has worked with the same design team for every store from Perth to Brisbane, forming a creative bond with architect Ana Ćalić McLean of In Addition Studio, and builder and former schoolmate Nick Karas from Trust Projects.
“It’s the architect, builder and client working together with absolute trust and a shared understanding of exactly what we want to do,” Didaskalou says.
At QV, they’ve taken over the space next door, expanding the shopfront from 80 to 250 square metres. The new footprint will feature three circular rooms, or “chambers”, with different identities, contrasting colours and sculptural finishes, described by In Addition as “a modern interpretation of the piazza defined by geometry, ritual and pause”.
Sydney-based artist George Raftopoulos has been commissioned to create a series of vibrant canvases mounted on the ceiling. “George does a lot of work about migration and stories of movement and travel, so he’s doing three pieces for each room, Michelangelo-style,” explains Didaskalou. “Though he declined the opportunity to paint upside down – he’s going to paint it on the ground and we’ll stick it up!”
The July team, including co-founder Richard Li, firmly believe in the future of bricks-and-mortar retail. “If you need a suitcase today or tomorrow, Australia Post is not going to get it to you [on that timeline], so retail in this category matters,” says Didaskalou. “Not only do I think physical retail is not going anywhere, as online [products] becomes easier and easier to sell, experiential retail is going to be the game changer between the brands that participate and those that dominate.”
He points to the recent opening of Mecca’s Bourke Street megastore as inspiration.
“You can buy most of their products online, so why do people still go to Mecca? It’s the experience, it’s being part of something, it’s the conversations you have with staff, it is bigger than the product itself. I hope that when we’re done Mecca is the number one (retail store in Melbourne) and July QV is number two.”
July’s flagship is due to open at 21 Albert Coates Lane this winter.