RTTS.land might just be our favourite place to shop in Sydney

“RTTS.land is a test kitchen for designers like that.”

Ask any fashion designer in their early years of business and they’ll tell you it’s tough out there. Despite breakout success since her 2017 launch (the label’s Founder and Designer Niamh Galea has earned headlines since day dot), Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp was still hustling to make rent. So like any good creative does, Niamh started working on creative solutions.

She opened the doors of her studio and invited the public to come over, giving buyers the opportunity to try on pieces from her own collections, plus a few more. Her initial idea was to stock pieces from friends she’s met across the fashion industry but it quickly ballooned (it seems Niamh has more friends than she realises).

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RTTS.land has since evolved into a full-blown retail space, featuring works from over 50 designers and friends collected from her time at Parsons in New York City, UTS in Sydney, and years in the fashion industry here and abroad.

RTTS.land no longer shares a space with Niamh’s studio, either. Positioned above a Chinatown address in Haymarket, the space is reminiscent of Eckhaus Latta’s NYC post where the designer started her fashion career as an intern. It’s also full of details that fashion diehards will understand. “[We] cut out the bottom metre of the [storeroom] wall so you can always see our cute shoes/socks/hems when we’re in there,” she explains. Below, Niamh steps us through her thoughtfully curated RTTS.land.

Tell us how the vision for RTTS.land came about 

RTTS.land has been something that has very much grown into its own with time. To begin with, it started as a way to use up a little excess studio space I had, to help pay the rent on my first-ever studio for my brand Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp (RTTS). It was very much an experiment at that point, I really didn’t know if it would work or not. I envisioned it as a hub for RTTS, a place to meet customers and for them to try on pieces.

I had worked in Eckhaus Latta’s NYC store on the top floor of a Chinatown mall a few years prior, and felt there was something similar about the feeling in this building and space. I also wanted to sell the work of some of the friends I’ve met over my years working, interning and studying both locally and internationally in this industry. It turned out I had a lot more than I initially thought and the store became a true multi-brand experience very quickly.

I wanted to create a friendly space to shop exciting emerging and independent designers from my community; the kind of place you could tell a friend from out of town, “You have to check out RTTS.land while you’re here.” Since expanding our new space to levels up from the RTTS studio, we are treating RTTS.land more seriously as its own business, complete with shop girls, a wider and more comprehensive offering of brands and a more permanent-feeling space.

How would you describe the space?

The curation is so eclectic, it’s definitely very vibrant and experimental. We have an emphasis on very forward-thinking designers and the aesthetic probably does lean femme. Our original space was moody and chaotic; magical and intimate like a teenager’s bedroom. For the new space, I collaborated once again with Copy Nature Office. We wanted to create a much lighter and brighter feel in this space, and quieter: we wanted the clothing (which is often colourful and complex) to be the talking point.

For the new space, we also wanted to honour the shop’s role as an inner city safe space and community hub for designers, artists, musicians and queer people in Sydney. We always have someone special popping in just for a chat about the industry or looking for advice, and we want to host more parties, workshops and events in our larger shop. The space pays homage to its context: [it’s] in a strange and historic office building on Sydney’s (and colonial Australia’s) oldest road. The [space’s main] feature is the bizarre mid-century lino floor, which we have wax polished and patched with grey cement where needed, but otherwise have kept as we found it.

The space is still a work in progress. Copy Nature Office has designed us a very special walnut veneer table, which will act as the centrepiece of the space. It will hopefully become a place for gathering, flicking through the book selection curated by Fiend books, having interesting conversations and for doing our admin tasks.

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

It’s been such an organic journey from one rack in front of a curtain in the RTTS studio to a full-on, multi-brand store. We now have five racks and represent over 50 designers, both local and international. I’ve had some challenges with funding, especially since opening the new space. The overheads have become so much higher and the project overall is so much more ambitious. Paying for the refit of the new space has been a particular challenge but in a way, it’s been a positive, as we’ve been able to figure out the layout and design of the space as we experience it. It’s led to a fair few changes from the original design that I am so happy with.

In terms of working with our designers, it’s always a pleasure and because I am working primarily with friends, there is a lot of patience and trust. They get that this whole business is very new to me and I feel like we all learn about how it works best together.

Nothing would be possible without Honor Munro, our sometimes shopgirl and backend guru. It’s not the fun part of a fashion business but the systems and record-keeping protocols she’s put in place have been totally game-changing for the shop.

What’s your favourite feature of the store?

I’m completely in love with the patchwork repaired lino floor; it’s so distinctive. I am also really obsessed with the original details in the exposed 1918 ceilings that Ed [of Copy Nature Office] has revealed above the mid-century dropped ceiling grid. But probably my favourite thing is our store room. Not just for the lovely organisation, but Ed cut out the bottom metre of the wall so you can always see our cute shoes/socks/hems when we’re in there and I just love that detail.

What do you like about the area?

Haymarket is such an amazing area; the people and drama you see down on George Street never cease to amaze me. Of course, being in Chinatown, the food is epic and you can always find anything you want (more or less). I love being in the centre of the city. It feels more neutral than choosing the east or west, and is easy for everyone to get to – our space is directly opposite the Chinatown light rail stop.

I really feel Sydney’s creative scene is pretty underestimated which is one of the things we are trying to show with this shop. There are so many amazing designers in the city, some of who have full-time jobs besides their business, and often that kind of handcrafted work is hard to sell in bigger stores that want multi-piece collections. RTTS.land is a test kitchen for designers like that.

Follow RTTS.land here.