Nolm is the independent Sydney store stocking a curated selection of emerging and established contemporary designers

“Fresh, interesting and unique.”

First launched as a physical space in 2018, Nolm Store (an acronym for No One Like Me) was among the first of its kind in Sydney. It offered a curated selection of elusive international designers – like Comme Des Garçons, Chopova Lowena, Kiko Kostadinov and Martine Rose. Over the last five years, Nolm has cemented itself as the brick-and-mortar destination for out-of-the-box, contemporary fashion.

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Moving from Chippendale to the historic Queen Victoria Building, Nolm’s fresh space – brought to life with the help of Loop Creative – reflects its curated clothing offering. It’s minimalistic with pops of unexpected colour, pattern and texture, like in the crumpled white walls, cherry-red fitting rooms and wavy metal fixtures placed throughout. Below, Co-Founder Sasha Yu tells the story of Nolm Store so far.

Tell me a bit about how the vision for Nolm came about.

Being passionate about fashion and design, I’ve always found that the retail scene in Australia lacks excitement and character, which initially motivated me to open Nolm.

The vision for Nolm has always been to build a platform to showcase creative ideas and unique designs. With our thoughtful curation, we always aim to offer interesting designs to the Australian market, while supporting emerging designers locally and globally.

How would you describe the store’s aesthetic?

Fresh, interesting and unique. To be honest, we don’t have any set rules or guidelines in our aesthetic. We always look for something that’s different, something that sparks excitement at first glance. We like to be open-minded with our selection and we are always in search of emerging talents.

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

We opened five years ago and we opened our new store in [the] Queen Victoria Building a year ago. It was a bold decision to fit a contemporary retail space in a historical building, but thankfully it turned out well. The greatest challenge would be balancing the old of the building with the new of our pieces.

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

We collaborated with Loop Creative, who also designed our first store in Chippendale. The team always understands what we want and they managed to turn our ideas into reality.

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

My favourite area of the store is our fitting room, a red self-standing installation piece. Each room has its own design – one takes on a playful approach and the other one is more neutral. Both are illuminated with lots of natural lights from the historical windows of the Queen Victoria Building.

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

The creative community in Sydney is very connected and supportive. It is also diverse in every sense… it cuts across cultures and disciplines. With that being said, I do think that the creative industry here is extremely competitive, as opportunities are limited and local talents deserve more recognition.