Acclaimed Kiwi designer brand, Maggie Marilyn has opened its first, highly anticipated, international retail destination in Sydney, Australia.
The new boutique neighbours some of Australia’s most prominent and successful fashion houses in Paddington’s celebrated ‘The Intersection’ precinct. The new store will join Maggie Marilyn’s two New Zealand ‘Homes’ in Newmarket and Britomart.
Founding designer Maggie Hewitt described the expansion of the brand’s brick-and-mortar stores as “pivotal”.
“Maggie Marilyn’s mission to realise a socially and environmentally responsible fashion industry won’t happen without the support of our global customer,” Hewitt said.
“Our ‘bricks and mortar’ Homes are pivotal to educating our customers about our brand pillars–it’s about building and nurturing a community that will champion the collective good we are seeking.”
The new flagship space’s interior layout was brought to life by Interior Designer Alexandra Ponting of AP Design House. The designer wanted the intimate dining space to speak to The Intersection neighbourhood’s defining heritage Victorian architecture and the planet conscious values and initiatives of the Maggie Marilyn brand, showcasing Italian mid-century furnishings in solid walnut timber, organic stone floors, and a nature-inspired palette of sage and darker green hues.
“I adopted a ‘less is more’ approach for Maggie’s new Home - the directive was underpinned by the romance of investing in hero vintage pieces, to create theatre and intrigue in a mostly minimalist-inspired space,” Ponting said.
An inviting dining table intentionally anchors the room and according to Ponting, vintage décor pieces were sourced as a priority.
Hewitt described the intimate dining room experience as ‘golden’, and suggestive of an invitation to share food, laughter, and stories.
“The right kind of dining table is [...] also the birthplace for some of our most honest and important conversations-holding space for hard questions and uncomfortable truths. As we continue to propel the climate crisis conversation, we will continue to invite our community to take a seat at the table with us,” Hewitt said.
The new Sydney retail destination will showcase Maggie Marilyn’s celebrated range of circular, traceable, evergreen essentials, SomewhereandSomewhere Man, as well as the highly coveted, limited-edition Forever capsules of elevated, season-less pieces that are mindfully designed to cherish now and forever.
The new store’s launch coincides with the latest Forever capsule, inspired by the sartorial choices a woman makes when she wants to look stronger than she feels. The capsule consists of shades of slate grey and tangerine, signature knot detailing, an Italian wool mini skirt and the return of Maggie Marilyn’s It’s Up To You Dress in three hero colours.
The Forever capsule is for those who find themselves becoming hardened by the state of the world or when the consequences of bad decisions, made with good intentions, start to feel terminal - when a person wants to wear something that envelopes the body. Blazers, coats and fabrics of a certain weight or significance reached for when a person feels wobbly. Comforting, not suffocating - a coat special enough to wake the wearer back up to the goodness in themselves and others and offer a reminder that underneath that coat belongs a person who found the courage to start over or start again or, simply, start.
To celebrate the new international store opening, the Forever capsule’s campaign features faces of the brand’s Australian friends and longstanding fashion peers and supporters. Captured by photographer Dan Roberts, the campaign was shot on the streets surrounding the new Sydney flagship in the Paddington district. Offering a visual representation of the emphasis Maggie Marilyn places on community and occupying physical spaces, the campaign is also a reminder that ultimately, the brand creates clothes for real women with all the complexities and challenges of living through modern times.
Maggie Marilyn’s new Forever capsule is available in stores and online at www.maggiemarilyn.com
Maggie Marilyn's Paddington store is located at 13 Glenmore Road, Paddington, Sydney.
