169sqm boutique’s design draws inspiration from Louboutin’s holiday home in Portugal and creates a romantic parenthesis that welcomes patrons into an environment that feels like a friend’s home. The first room is a dedication to women, displaying the latest styles of the House, with white wooden cladding throughout the boutique, and green salt panels for the tables and shelves. This flows into the men’s space, which manifests in the same aesthetic but with a golden twist on the handmade salt panels.  Both interiors showcase a balanced mix of soft shapes and noble materials in vivid shades and textures. The cosy inner-city nook feels like summer and despite its intimate floorspace, feels bright and airy. Curvature presents patrons with peeps into various collections, with splashes of lush deep olive-green upholstery and gold accents contrasting regally with the House’s signature red, boldly and beautifully featured throughout the ‘shoe lover’s dream’ closet destination. The red scale-tiled facades feature throughout, forming a unique and iconic pattern inspired by mirror glass scales installed in the first Christian Louboutin boutique in the Galerie Véro-Dodat, Paris. Dior Sydney, New South Wales Like the waves at Sydney’s eastern beaches, the undulating curves on the facade of Dior’s new Westfield Bondi Junction boutique are expansive and evoke movement. The play with light, relief and depth at the entrance welcomes customers through expansive brushed gold and glass doors. A Versailles parquet floor intersects the heritage of Christian Dior’s first couture house and flagship address in 1946, at 30 Montaigne, in Paris. Soft shades of white, cream, beige and grey furnish the over 500sqm floorspace designed by the in-house Dior team – an ode to the House’s founding couturier’s signature colour palette. All of this makes it the perfect walk-in closet to showcase the Dior autumn/winter 2024-2025, ready-to-wear collection devised by Maria Grazia Chiuri. It’s a wardrobe that radiates the strength of pluralistic femininity, presented alongside Victoire de Castellane’s Rose des Vents creations. A second space reveals the Dior Winter 2024-2025 line thought up by Kim Jones and inhabited by the flamboyant spirit of Rudolf Nureyev. An invitation to celebrate the Australian lifestyle and an ode to the postcode where the store resides is the ultimate surprise – models from the Beach Capsule, which reflect Dior’s desire to move towards more sustainable and innovative fashion. Complete with a surfboard, wetsuit and hammock. Cue Gold Coast, Queensland As women walk down the ‘crazy’ custom natural stone paved floor, Cue wants them to feel confident, dynamic and empowered. Hues of jade green, travertine and warm terracotta, combine to create a captivating foundation for the store that makes a statement. The Australian fashion retailer is ‘back on Cue’ with its new store at the Gold Coast’s premier retail hub, Pacific Fair shopping centre. The new store is a physical manifestation of the new Cue direction, the store features a meticulously crafted interior that combines the brand’s distinctive aesthetics with a luxurious edge. This store takes the direction of the brand’s new and elevated store design, led by architecture and interior design studio Alexander & CO, which embodied the Cue woman – confident, dynamic and empowered in bricks-and-mortar, using the brand’s signature bold colours and statement prints. The interior boasts a striking Burgundy scalloped bulkhead in high gloss feature in the intimate fitting area space. The focal point is a feature room in a curved form enclosed by a jade-green leather curtain suspended from a custom polished-chrome rail. the feature separating the focal point feature room. Surrounded by sculptural wall lights in parchment and burnished steel, complemented with custom column-wrapped concrete bricks from the Natural Brick Company enhance the store’s tactile design. “Returning to Pacific Fair, with a brand-new store concept, is a significant moment for Cue, heralding an exciting new chapter in the brand’s long history, “ Simon Schofield, CEO, Cue Clothing Co said.  “Opening this new flagship is a testament to the enduring legacy and forward-thinking design approach of Cue – bold, progressive and elevated, the store reflects not only the brand’s ethos of creativity and innovation but also our commitment to delivering unique in-store experiences for our customers.” Saint Laurent Sydney, New South Wales Bold but demure luxury brand Saint Laurent opened a store with Anthony Vaccarello’s new design concept in the Sydney Westfield mall. The raw, refined, hard and rectangular solid surfaces that construct the store ensure the product takes centre stage. A back-lit, black cosmic marble facade boldly greets shoppers. Amber terrazzo flooring is Saint Laurent’s ‘yellow brick road’ that spans the store’s interior covering shops 3016,3017 and 4015 of Sydney CBD’s Market Street Westfield mall. Golden spider and giallo sienna marble niches contrast with a grey-blue marble table and grigio alpi marble walls. A ‘vogue’ black wood staircase distinctly spirals shoppers to a second level and contrasts with the harmonious aesthetic of the overall boutique vibe. A conflict of tension between rough textures and precise details throughout the space generates a new paradigm for a luxury shopping environment. On display is Saint Laurent’s complete offering in-store that covers women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes and accessories On Melbourne, Victoria The Swiss sportswear brand said G’day to Australia in the upmarket, innercity, Melbourne Emporium shopping centre with a 400sqm space. This chapter marks the brand’s 42nd store opening globally, which is part of its strategy to foster a customer-centric physical retail experience on a global scale. The store allows ‘On’lookers a clear view of what’s in-store, with an expansive glass external window facade on Little Bourke Street. As one of the most on-trend brands in the world right now, On’s store mirrors the unique and instantly recognisable trademark of the brand’s high-performance apparel and footwear, in a bricks-and-mortar manifestation. Brushed chrome, minimalistic fit-out and rectangular fit-out from floor to ceiling and to countertop, along with clever storage solutions, like pull-out shoe displays, keep the overall store looking sleek, with minimal clutter on the shop floor. From the pixelated design, beige-tile floor decal to the textured light counter displays that contrast with the dark wood sleeper seat feature, On’s first Australian home is one to experience. The North Face Sydney, New South Wale A double-height glazed facade welcomes adventurers from the concrete jungle of Sydney CBD, off George Street and into a treasure trove of iconic puffer jackets and an extensive range of outdoor adventure gear. Cutting-edge micro-tile screens throughout the fit-out blend the physical and digital realms. The North Face World Square is the first store opening that showcases the new retail format – ‘Onebox Pro’, which focuses on human connection, blending physical and digital realms, bringing nature in-store, and rethinking sustainability. Wooden-textured tile, concrete finishes, exposed brick and raw concrete design elements combine to bring the concept to life over 300sqm of retail space that intends to offer an elevated consumer experience. For those who seek to reach the peak, a dedicated corner in-store showcases the brand’s Summit Series so customers can spend less time deliberating on their adventure gear and more time adventuring. This story first appeared in the November 2024 issue of Inside Retail Australia magazine.