Kowtow Naarm by Knight Associates

As its first Australian store, Kowtow’s Naarm boutique is designed to reflect the fashion label’s sustainability ethos with a refined and understated palette of natural materials and woven fabrics.

Renowned throughout New Zealand for its stylish yet practical tailoring, Kowtow has a fervent following that has now extended across the Tasman, answering a call for an Australian flagship. As a brand that creates lasting, modular clothing to counter overconsumption, the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy was an obvious choice for Kowtow’s first international store, with the central, eclectic hotspot also known for its socially conscious sensibility.

As a brand that creates lasting, modular clothing to counter overconsumption, the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy was an obvious choice for Kowtow’s first international store.

Kowtow Naarm was designed by Rufus Knight of Knight Associates, who also created the label’s Auckland and Wellington stores. With Kowtow’s core values of transparency and longevity in mind, Knight Associates artfully combined local timbers and textured materials to create the interiors, aiming for an understated look that was in keeping with the clothing and a design that balanced the narrow dimensions of the space.

This materiality includes floor-to-ceiling, linear display joinery created from FSC- certified spotted gum. Overhead, illuminated panels of Kozo washi paper add a soft touch, matched by a Japanese Hotaru lantern over the counter. The point-of-sale bench was created from reclaimed timber, while the original pale Victorian ash floor has been refinished for a new lease on life.

Illuminated panels of Kozo washi paper add a soft touch, matched by a Japanese Hotaru lantern over the counter.

The walls are coated in a coarse limewash plaster, which alludes to the life cycle of the organic cotton used exclusively by Kowtow in its designs. Domestic in its scale, the store is airy and inviting and is sure to draw in many new and curious customers along with the brand’s dedicated clientele.

Architecture by Knight Associates. Build by Michael Del Tondo. Joinery by West Wood Joinery. Brand Design by Kowtow.