Saint Laurent opens first Australian flagship in Melbourne

French luxury fashion house Saint Laurent has unveiled its first official Australian flagship store, opening in the nation’s style capital, Melbourne.

Located on the city’s luxury shopping precinct, at 80 Collins Street, the new flagship occupies three storeys – the largest of its Australian retail offerings – and is designed in the famed Paris company’s monochromatic colour palette: black, white and grey, according to a Vogue report.

Oozing Art Deco style with a contemporary twist, the Melbourne flagship store boasts marble walls and floors, nickel-plated brass details and black marble benches, punctuated by black leather seats and crystal glass.

By levels, the first two floors offer Saint Laurent’s latest men’s and women’s collections, as well as its leather goods, shoes and accessories, including sunglasses and jewellery. The store will also retail Australia-exclusives such as the Saint Laurent Match Box Plexi Glass handbag and several runway looks; all designed by Anthony Vaccarello, who stepped in as creative director of the French house in 2016.

Up on the third, shoppers will find an under-construction VIP dressing salon (slated for a pre-Christmas opening), which will house vintage furniture pieces and offer high-end service to clients. The new Melbourne store opening comes after Saint Laurent launched its latest retail design concept in its home city, Paris, in June 2019.

In its most recent financial update in October, Saint Laurent-parent Kering said the brand returned to growth in the third quarter, in both its directly operated stores and its wholesale channel. Total revenue of US$604.39 million was up 0.8% year on year as reported and 3.9% on a comparable basis. Retail sales rose 5.8% on a comparable basis.

Kering concluded by adding Saint Laurent’s market penetration increased in the Asia-Pacific region, where awareness of the brand is rising together with the expansion of its store network.