Unveiling A Creative Journey: Inside Our New habbot Studio Store

We're wrapping up another eventful year at habbot with the exciting news that we've outgrown our Robert Street studio store in Collingwood, where our customers have enjoyed an in-person shopping experience for many years. With a burgeoning need for more space, we decided to knock a hole in the wall and expand into the much larger, airier space directly next door!

The creative and construction process to bring the new space to life lasted many months, with our founder and designer Annie taking time to create the best possible environment for the habbot team and customers.

We're happy to announce that our beautiful new retail space is now open for business in Wellington Street, Collingwood. It's a place where artistry meets commerce, and tradition intertwines with innovation.

"I wanted to create a space that felt like both an art gallery and a retail showroom that’s warm and inviting but a little bit fancy!" says Annie, who, with an artist’s eye meticulously curated an experience that echoes the soul of the brand and the products.

"We’re always mixing the old with the new - both in our shoe designs and also the way they are made, so I wanted to carry a sense of this through to the new store. Traditional wall panelling serves as a classic backdrop for the minimalist pink plinths used on mass throughout the space."

"I love a contrasting colour palette, so for fans of our brand it will be no surprise to see this applied throughout the space, with deep emerald green carpet creating a sea upon which various pink shades and clay brown pieces float on. I took quite a while to finalise the palette because I love making colour statements but I had to remind myself that the shoes needed to be the hero here. We’re selling shoes, not carpet or paint colours, so I think the final result is a great balance of exciting space, and successful showroom."

"The space is so light and airy that it could handle some strong colour clashing without impacting the shoes. My favourite piece is the big green counter in ‘Pharoah's Gem’. It's massive, and it just wouldn’t have worked in our previous smaller store, but feels right at home here."

"The soft pinks of the plinths serve as neutrals, and were an easy choice to stick with as we used these before in our previous stores. I love this colour for its ability to enhance and partner with the full spectrum of coloured leathers we use in our shoes. The dusty rose and clay colours continue the ‘old world’ vibes, but used in such large floor-to-ceiling expanses they take on a boldness that rings true for habbot."

"It's a joy to have everything and everyone in the one space. I appreciate the simplicity and efficiencies of me and my team designing and making operational and marketing decisions in the same location as we're receiving customer queries and visitors into the store - which is also where we dispatch all orders from. The feedback is fast and complete, and very little falls through the cracks. Customer tell us they like this too, so we’ve never hidden the fact that it’s an integrated space and it is certainly on show through the use of sheer curtains and an open plan layout."   "I approached the selections of materials and colours for the space in much the same way I do when designing a shoe collection: I plan the range and then work the colour in. For the shop spaces, I determined what was required to display the amount of shoes and accessories we have each season, then I added in the practical elements to create the best possible customer experience - including things like seating, counter space and mirrors. Then finally I sat on the floor with paint chips and started playing with colours. I went around in circles for a few days, and eventually resolved it to where everything felt balanced."

"Similarly, when I’m working on shoe colours I can’t force it, and in many ways it depends on what else is in my head at the time. But I know when it's complete because I feel excited by each element and nothing feels drab, which allows me to close the book on it and get started on my next job."

If you have visited us in Melbourne's bustling Collingwood before, our new habbot studio store is directly around the corner of our previous address in Robert Street. Next time you’re in the area come and discover our new space – we’d love to meet you!

The new habbot studio store address is:

98 Wellington Street
Collingwood, Victoria 3066
Ph: 03 9917 2741

Trading Hours

Monday: 10am - 3pm 

Tuesday: OPEN BY APPOINTMENT (contact our team to arrange)

Wednesday: 10am - 3pm

Thursday: 10am - 3pm

Friday: 10am - 3pm

Saturday: 10am - 4pm

(closed Sundays & Public Holidays)