The New Trend Brisbane
In the Calile Hotel’s James Street precinct, AKI Design creates the first Brisbane Flagship for luxury clothing store The New Trend, reflecting the design-led aesthetics of its locale.
For its first Brisbane store – located in the award-winning Richards and Spence-designed Calile Hotel in Fortitude Valley – multi-brand luxury clothing retailer The New Trend (TNT) wanted to create an experience that reflected the hotel’s impeccable architectural standing. TNT co-founder and brand director Vanessa Spencer entrusted that vision to another female-founded enterprise, Melbourne-based AKI Design, whose work shares a kindred approach to detail and materiality.
The store “embodies a dialogue between our European design sensibility and TNT’s global perspective, reflecting an elevated, intentional approach”.
TNT has made its name through a meticulously edited roster of international heavyweight labels like Róhe, Coperni, The Attico and WARDROBE.NYC, along with notable Antipodean brands including Christopher Esber, Harris Tapper, Alemais and ESSE. The James Street precinct store – the company’s fourth, after Armadale and Brighton in Melbourne and Sydney’s Paddington – possesses the same timeless aesthetic embodied in its ranges.
AKI has paid homage to that aesthetic in a space which, as studio founder and creative director Charis James explains, “embodies a dialogue between our European design sensibility and TNT’s global perspective, reflecting an elevated, intentional approach expressed through the store’s materiality”.
Spatial planning and subtle zoning, achieved via a striking stone floor detail that begins at the store’s entrance and curves off into the display units, help direct wayfinding. “We wanted it to feel as though you were shopping your own wardrobe, so segregating these areas gave a residential feel to the space,” says James. “This helped form the basis of the design, allowing us to layer organic materiality and textural elements to create interest and personality.”
Those elements are bolstered by a collection of bespoke pieces designed by AKI in collaboration with leading Australian makers. “From the outset, we wanted to collaborate with select artisans to create truly unique, handcrafted works that showcase local talent,” explains AKI director Candyce Huntsman. “Each piece embodies the TNT brand and its designers while seamlessly complimenting the overall design.”
Bespoke ceramic lights by Sarah Nedovic appear at POS and throughout the store as sculptural wall features, while a mohair sofa by Zenn Design is used as seating in the fitting room, “zoning the space while still being a sculptural moment within the store”, says Huntsman. Sawdust Timber Furniture, whose design partnership with AKI spans a decade, was charged with creating both POS and jewellery cabinets, opting for a striking material palette of Portugal cork, bronzed metal and lacquered terracotta.
Two pieces by Melbourne artist Simone Tops complete the roster of collaborations: an oversized steel mirror that sits within the fitting room space and a totem that is used as a sculptural element in a hanging rail in the main store window. “Simone combined hand-stitched soft leather forms against more structural copper elements on a limestone base to craft this piece,” says James. “We were instantly drawn to the concept of the limestone base, especially with the onyx detailing on the edge of the stone.”
Other stand-out elements include oversized, near-black polished plaster structural columns, which sit next to the POS and glass joinery unit and provide both drama and a sense of stability; and two works by Melbourne furniture designer Rachel Donath – the curvaceous Dora mirror and the Vernier Plinth in Tabac, an elegant display stand in burl.
“The boutique mirrors who we are and what we value – creativity, authenticity and a deep respect for design – while showcasing the incredible local and international talent we’re proud to represent.”
For Vanessa Spencer, who began The New Trend in 2017, AKI’s vision for the Brisbane store perfectly encapsulates the company’s ethos. “Brisbane has such a strong sense of creativity and community, and we wanted to create a space that reflected that energy. TNT has always been about connection: between designers, clients and culture. From the beginning, we set out to build something that feels personal – a curated experience rather than just a place to shop. AKI Studio completely understood that vision and brought it to life in a way that feels both elevated and distinctly Brisbane. The boutique mirrors who we are and what we value – creativity, authenticity and a deep respect for design – while showcasing the incredible local and international talent we’re proud to represent.”
The New Trend James Street is located at The Calile, Shop 3, 48 James Street, Fortitude Valley.
Architecture and interior design by AKI Design. Build by Siomin Constructions.
