Hello Australia!
Since Wilson & Dorset’s inception, it has been our dream to share our passion for sheepskin with our Aussie neighbours. and build a home for the brand in Australia where we could meet people and bring them along on our journey to rid homes of synthetic materials.
Build a home for the brand in Australia where we could meet people and bring them along on our journey to rid homes of synthetic materials.
We know that so much of our New Zealand success is related to our tight knit community in Wanaka who have supported us from day one, alongside the many tourists who have fallen for sheepskin on holiday and taken something home with them in New Zealand and across the globe. So, while Melbourne or Sydney would have been the obvious choice for our first Australian store, our guts told us to find somewhere smaller, a more intimate destination where we could start to build our Aussie community.
As we started to ask around, one town kept popping up time and time again. Bowral – an idyllic town an hour below Sydney in the Southern Highlands, that becomes a popular tourist destination over the cooler months. We decided we had to check it out for ourselves and from the moment we got there, we were taken with its beauty, vibe and the wonderful community who welcomed us with opened arms. On that very same visit, we were offered a retail space on the main street and we just couldn’t say no.
Our first Australian store in Bowral
So it came to be that on the 23rd August 2024, we opened the doors of our first Australian store. It was no small feat to launch a store in a less than three months and it was a mammoth team effort from our New Zealand based team, our new hires in Australia and the Bowral community who rallied around to make the impossible possible. We were also incredibly lucky to work with Melbourne-based kiwi architect James McNab, renowned for his considered approach to material selection and sustainability. The brief to him, was a space that feel like a respite from the world and encourages visitors to slow down and relax. It has always been our dream to have a fireplace in our retail space and we pinch ourselves every time we see a visitor sink into a shaggy bag and warm themselves by the fire.
Five months in, we continue to be blown away by the encouragement and support we have received, showing us that Aussies, like kiwis want to make better choices for them home that is both better for them and the planet. We look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible into our space and when the time is right, finding our next spot to build and grow the sheepskin revolution.
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