First Look: Friends With Frank Opens Its First South-Side Store

Without fail, once a day at Friends With Frank’s Fitzroy store, a customer asks when they’ll open a south-side location. Founder Julia McCarthy has felt a similar pull. For the last couple of years, she’s been keeping an eye on potential storefronts south of the river – specifically in Armadale, specifically on High Street.

“High Street Armadale holds such a special place in my heart,” McCarthy says. “It’s actually where I worked my first retail job and where I found my year 12 formal dress. I’m Melbourne born and bred, so opening a store there feels like a real full-circle moment.”

Friends With Frank launched in 2012. At the time, it was a side project to her retail management and buying career. Five years later, she quit her job and focused on Friends With Frank full-time. A lot has changed since then; in the beginning, it was an outerwear-only label, and its first jacket was made from rabbit fur. 

In the time since, the independent womenswear label has grown into ready-to-wear apparel and accessories. Its take on elevated everyday pieces puts a sculptural, European-inspired spin on capsule wardrobe dressing. It’s grown a loyal following locally. 

Friends With Frank held a seven-month 2023 residency in Emporium and had a Richmond showroom between 2020 and 2025. But this Armadale store is the label’s official second store – a more permanent, traditional retail offering. It’s been almost two years since the Fitzroy flagship opened, though it feels like it’s been a fixture of Gertrude Street for longer. 

The brief for the new store was that it would be a sister, not a twin, to its north-side counterpart. “The Armadale store is kind of Gertrude’s sophisticated older sister. She’s a bit bolder and a bit more sculptural through her design language – that was intentional.”

It was hard to secure a High Street spot. This location was the third that McCarthy applied for before she was approved. Competition is fierce; she’d often be one of 10 people fighting over a retail lease.

McCarthy was drawn to the space’s “same intimate energy that Gertrude has”. For the design and build, she brought the exact team back that worked on the Fitzroy store. The space was designed by interior designer Georgina Jeffries and built by Tykon. “I knew I wanted to work with them again because they were both just such a joy to work with. Building can be quite stressful, but both experiences have been so calm,” McCarthy says.

“Georgina creates these beautiful residential projects, so we always want our retail stores to feel like a home, like you would be trying on pieces in your own wardrobe.” She points to Jeffries’s ability to blend vintage pieces with custom, contemporary pieces.

The intimate space is drenched in warmth. Modern parquet floorboards and dappled-window doors are paired with stainless steel fixtures for a blend of modern romanticism. Log-like pillars, a skylight and curved ottomans give the space an organic feel. Geometric custom racks and full-height draped curtains “create a sense of drama and refinement”. 

McCarthy’s piece de resistance? The change room’s custom mirror. “It looks like [a] vintage dresser, it has three mirrors in one. When you’re trying on our pieces, you can see all angles. It’s just absolutely stunning.”

When it rains, it pours. This past week, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, was photographed wearing two Friends With Frank pieces – the Lou coat and the Anya dress. A member of her team DM’d McCarthy from Markle’s official Instagram account, saying they were wanting to highlight Australian designers while she was here. “It was an absolute whirlwind. I was like, this cannot be real.”

Sydney’s also on the cards for a future Friends With Frank store. It’s a market that’s “almost on par with Melbourne”. Until then, Sydney-siders will have the chance to shop Friends With Frank in person for three weeks at its Paddington residency in May. 

“I’ve been doing this for 14 years, and my momentum has never been higher,” McCarthy says. “I’m so grateful at the moment.”

Friends With Frank Armadale opens Friday May 24, 10am.

Friends With Frank Armdale
1022 High Street, Armadale

Mon to Fri 9:30am–5:30pm
Sat & Sun 10am–5pm

friendswithfrank.com
@friendswithfrank