After 10 Years, Streetwear Label Homie Opens a Second Store – This Time in the CBD

As Homie enters its second decade, it’s stepped into a new era. A brand-new, 180-metre-square shopfront in Melbourne’s Emporium has marked the occasion. 

Since its humble beginnings as a Facebook group in 2015, Homie has evolved into a mainstay of Melbourne’s fashion scene. The social enterprise tackling youth homelessness and hardship is as well known for its charitable work as it is for its streetwear threads. 

Now, Homie has opened its biggest location yet, taking over Emporium spaces once home to a magazine store and a Japanese toy shop. The industrial-driven and utilitarian fit-out is polished and sleek, a departure from the Fitzroy flagship’s cosy interiors. 

The glossy shop houses Homie’s extensive collections of apparel, accessories and collaboration. Its spacious changing rooms are a far cry from Fitzroy’s snug corner fitting rooms. Wheelchair accessibility for customers and employees has been considered, from table heights and changing-room hook heights to extra-wide back rooms.

The store was brought to life with the same community values that underpin Homie. Over 30 businesses, supporters and partners contributed to the build. “It’s been a real community effort, like even lighting electricians and brickies all came together to really help out. It’s like a community store for the community. It’s really special,” says co-founder and creative director of Homie Marcus Crook. 

Fitzroy’s Six Degrees Architects, which designed the store for “next to nothing”, salvaged much of the existing store fit-outs from the previous tenants. The firm combined one store’s perforated metal fixtures with the other store’s wooden elements. “We kept all the materials from both stores and just blended them together,” Crook says.

Construction firm Renascent also headed up the build pro bono and Vicinity Centres (which owns Emporium) provided discounted rent. Homie is now the first charity social enterprise Vicinity has in one of its centres. 

“It’s really different for them and it’s different for us,” Crook says. “It’s amazing to be on the same floor as, like, Uniqlo and Glue and brands like that that will bring people in. Hopefully, people can find clothing that’s similar, but maybe with a bit more impact.”

Crook says the opening of a second store was led by a desire to expand its social impact initiatives. On top of its Homie Pathway Alliance program, an eight-month accredited paid retail and education course, it’s recently started its new Retail Ready program, a 10-week paid work experience placement. 

“We’ve trialled it in our Fitzroy store this year. It’s done amazingly well,” Crook says. “The outcomes have been epic, and the young people have gone on to bigger and better things afterwards.” This year, 27 young people went through Retail Ready, with the aim of having 60 to 65 people next year across the two programs. 

Heading into this new chapter of Homie has only reaffirmed its focus on supporting Australia’s vulnerable young people. Crook hints at the possibility of starting up its social initiatives in other cities, like Sydney, in the future. At the end of the day, Homie’s mission is not about selling cool streetwear or flashy collab collections (though its AFL knits have done particularly well), but about helping as many people experiencing homelessness and hardship as possible.

Homie Emporium
Shop 5, Emporium, 287 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Sat to Wed 10am–7pm
Thu to Fri 10am–9pm

homie.com.au 

@homie.com.au