Lo & Behold

Lo & Behold is the brainchild of best friends Lisa and Odette, who source a collection of progressive and effortless men’s and women’s fashion from the best Australian designers. 

Their selection focuses on labels specialising in thoughtful, well made wardrobe staples. 

They feel strongly about supporting up-and-coming designers, making sure to stock at least one new start-up label per year. 

What sort of products and/or services can we expect from you, and how do you source them?

We actually spend hours upon hours researching labels to work with but we believe every minute is worth it. We are regularly trawling the internet, local and international blogs, style pages, magazines, attending student fashion shows along with the main runways at fashion week to find the best up and coming labels, along with current leaders in the Australian fashion. Our style ethos for LO is pretty simple: we like to stock well made wardrobe staples. Things that will be in your wardrobe for years to come, basically they have to be items that we would wear ourselves. It's no use trying to be something you're not, we live and breathe our business. Because we operate our business ourselves from sourcing through to working with our customers on the floor it means that we understand how the pieces work for every shape, we love helping people work our favourite pieces into their own wardrobes. There is nothing more satisfying that seeing our customers come back into SO:ME space to tell us how they've worn our clothes and all the happy compliments they've received.

How does working within the SO:ME Space enhance your business, and what are the best aspects of the space?

We have just recently moved into our abode at SO:ME Space, and we couldn't be happier. We really weren't sure exactly what to expect. Working with like-minded businesses who are passionate about quality Australian produce means that not only do we share common values, we also have fantastic shopping on our doorstep (yes we're guilty of shopping a little too much!). The community vibe that the hub has is really supportive of all sized businesses. The ever changing landscape in the centre of SO:ME space is fantastic, the pop-ups bring so much product variety but also a steady stream of friendly faces. We have met some wonderful people through SO:ME and have really enjoyed being part of the community.

Why would you advocate visitors to the space?

One stop shop? I think the changing landscape is a real incentive to not only get down to SO:ME space once, but regularly. With the pop ups changing on a monthly basis there is always something new to tickle your fancy not to mention us 'regulars' with beautiful quality Australian garments sourced with love.

What is your professional background?

Professional background, that kind of makes us giggle a bit. I'm not sure that either of us would qualify ourselves as professional.

O: Lisa and I met 'professionally' 12 years ago when she employed me at Boost Juice…I was 16 years old and loved working with Lisa. Our friendship has developed over the years and the enjoyment of working together has remained. I worked in corporate for 5 years without much direction when Lisa and I decided to embark on our little project. I didn't have any experience with retail prior to opening our business but I always loved following the Melbourne fashion scene. I had dreamed of working for myself (I didn't realise how married to our business I would end up!) so with Lisa's experience it really made sense to embark on LO. Since opening our first boutique in Yarraville two years ago, we have enjoyed quite the adventure together.

L: For me fashion has always been a creative outlet, I just love how you can express yourself through clothing and once our smoothie days were over, I got a job in retail. I began fantasising about owning my own clothing store and so enrolled in a Fashion & Textiles Merchandising course at TAFE to build up my skills. Odette was the perfect choice in business partner as we work really well together. We both bring very different skills and opinions to the table but they really compliment each other. I don't think I could have done it without her, I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed it as much anyway, we have a lot of fun!
Where do you think we're going with regards to the way we shop? Are we pulling back from the cheap thrills of online buying? Are we moving back to the notion of supporting local trade easily, or is it a battle?

I think that the fashion industry is going through a period of change. We've come to accept online shopping as part of our lives both as customers and retailers. I think there were a lot (probably still are some) people who didn't trust the online world, fraudulent payments, not getting sizing right etc but on the whole things have moved to a new phase where we are more savvy online. 

As retailers we need to provide more information for our customers, accurate descriptions of styles, shapes, and exactly what our designs are made of along with of course how to wear it. Sometimes we forget how valuable conversation is in a shop where you share the finer details of a garment that help educate a customer in their choices. There has been a bit of a push and pull between online and bricks and mortar stores but I think the answer lies in a combination of the two. 

Our online store is open 24/7 while our physical space is only open 4 days a week, these days we live busy lives with less time to shop for pleasure, so when you're after a certain item it's handy to be able to pre shop. I think our customers use our online store, Facebook and Instagram almost as a catalogue so they know what they can find when next around the market. Of course it works the other way as well, sometimes people come into the store and can't decide on a purchase then go away and think about it, later we find the sale comes through our online store. So we really find that online and physical talk to one another, they work hand in hand to give our customers a better shopping experience. 

As for cheap and cheerful online shopping, I don't think it's going anywhere fast. It's here to stay but I think the customer is now a more discerning online shopper. As shoppers we now understand what we're in for and know that if the marked price is low, the garment is likely to be made of cheap fabric and perhaps not have the lasting appeal that something of better quality material with a higher price tag might have.

Tell us the things you most love about Melbourne?

O: Gosh what do we love about Melbourne...everything! Lisa is a Radelaidian, where as I am Melbourne-born and bred. I can't imagine living anywhere else. Melbourne has a rich and diverse culture with pockets of different cultures all over the place. Specifically, I am a big fan of the Otways, the Great Ocean Road for a summer or winter getaway. We love to steal weekends away in and around Lorne hiking, eating beautiful local produce and soaking up the beachy relaxation. Around Melbourne town we love…South Melbourne market of course - amazing food and diverse shopping. I'm a big fan of the Melbourne CBD rooftop bars, especially Carlton Club and Roof Top Bar for balmy summer eve's spent boozing in the open air. It's hard to go past the shopping of Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, amazing bars to stop at in between purchases.

L: The food! So many great cafes and restaurants from such a diverse range of cultures. I love that you can get a bowl of delicious pho in Footscray for less than $10 which is as good (if not better) as I've had in Vietnam. It really is such a liveable city, I wouldn't live anywhere else in Australia, sorry Adelaide!

O: Oh yes, the food…

Lo & Behold - SO:ME SPACE, Stall 135, Corner Cecil and Coventry Streets South Melbourne

http://www.loandbehold.com.au

Bosky Terrarium workshops -http://www.loandbehold.com.au/collections/workshops/products/terrariumworkshop

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