SEAMLESS SPIRIT

Storytelling through style, Farage’s new concept store is as well turned out as its immaculately tailored clothing.

WHAT APPEALED ABOUT THE SITE? Joe Farage: My wife Katy and I fell in love with the building’s heritage. It looked like something out of Paris or Milan. It was built as the Harp of Erin pub and most recently owned by one of Sydney’s most influential art galleries, Watters Gallery, which was here in Riley Street, East Sydney, for almost 60 years. They renovated around 30 years ago, working with architect Walter Barda. From the start I loved the Brutalist concrete stairs leading to level one. It was natural to design around [them and] keep the gallery feel.  I wanted our garments to sit within the beautiful, minimalist concrete architecture akin to a gallery, allowing our clothing to be the hero like art pieces.

HOW DID YOU SET ABOUT ASSEMBLING THE DESIGN TEAM? JF: As a keen follower of all things furniture, industrial design, architecture and art, I was able to give Greg Natale – a longtime close friend – a very clear brief on the direction I wanted. It’s funny that I essentially asked Greg, the king of maximalism, to take a minimal, pared-back approach. I engaged another friend, super-talented stylist Maria Papantoniou to source original, one-off, museum-like pieces – mostly Italian. 
HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED WITH THIS PROJECT AND WHAT WAS THE BRIEF? Greg Natale: Joe, Katy and I have been working together for about 20 years collaborating on several retail and office spaces for the brand. Here, I wanted to go a lot more clean and stripped back, and everyone was totally up for that. The staircase was retained to form a sculptural centrepiece at the entrance. It connects retail on the ground and first floors while setting the tone for the sleek, modernist aesthetic that carries through to the offices, meeting spaces and rooftop terrace above.