Northcote boutique Before March wants to help you build a wardrobe that lasts

“Tactile, calm and sentimental.”

Between the iconic music venues, bustling restaurants and sprawling pubs of Northcote’s High Street sits Before March, a peaceful home to slow fashion labels like Dominique Healy, Silk Laundry, Marle and more. Founder Melissa Mikletic opened the store as “an extension of her home”, to create a space that can offer shoppers intentional, curated wardrobe building blocks.

For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.

The store is imbued with personal touches, with fixtures built by Melissa’s partner and hanger covers sewn by her grandmother. Before March is continually shape-shifting, with the simple goal of helping customers extend the lifespan of their clothing. Each brand stocked at the store adopts the principles of slow fashion in some way, by using a made-to-order model, deadstock fabrics, Oeko-Tex-certified textiles, recycled materials and beyond. Below, Melissa speaks on her journey bringing the store to life.

Tell me a bit about how the vision for Before March came about.

It’s a simple intention. [I want] to offer things that I believe will stand the test of time and be worth your investment. I wanted to build a dependable space that covers the main pillars of a long-lasting wardrobe – deceptively simple items with subtle details that can be worn in multiple ways. I have a background in the textile industry and have run a small-scale brand. My hope is to promote long-term relationships with the things we collect.

How would you describe the store’s aesthetic?

Tactile, calm and sentimental. The negative space is just as important as what is there. Some of the fixtures have been built by my partner [and] my grandmother sewed the hanger covers… there’s evidence of the involvement of my loved ones.

What was the process like putting the store together and were there any challenges or roadblocks along the way?

It was a slow burn to get it to its current state. Little by little, I updated fixtures as I could. It’s a continual act of patience and resourcefulness. The challenge is always cash flow when you’re self-financed and… self-employed [because] you don’t know what your income will be from day to day. Weathering that uncertainty takes grit.

Who did you collaborate with when bringing the store to life?

It was me and two of my close friends in the early days. It had a different vibe and focus – we each had our own brands and were experimenting with a joint space to work out our place in the industry. One of those friends still runs a brand, which I proudly stock (Dominique Healy).

I’ve run the store on my own for a few years now and it has shape-shifted since. Collaboration plays a big part in the image series [that] I build – I’ve been shooting with Stephanie Cammarano for several years now.

We’re high school sweethearts. Ilsa Wynne-Hoelscher Kidd is another favourite collaborator. The photo stories I produce with these women are a big part of the identity and spirit of the store.

What’s your favourite feature/area of the store?

The big timber counter I sit at each day, built by my partner in our tiny spare room. I’ve shared many a glass of prosecco around it with great people. The store has seen a lot of changes, but the counter has been there since the very first day. It’s seen it all.

What do you like about the area/the Melbourne creative scene in general?

Northcote has long been a magnet for musicians. I’ve seen many lesser-known bands play incredible shows in local spots. My friends run Eastmint, which is an artist-run studio workspace and they put on seasonal gigs. I think the broader creative scene has always been quite fertile and there’s a lot of interesting programming.

Hear My Eyes is a great example in the way that it blends cinema and live music. I like to see different creative disciplines intermesh, and Melbourne seems to breed a lot of unique collaboration.