Shopper's guide to Gertrude Street

Winter or summer, Cottage Industry makes us feel all warm inside. Channel your inner nanna with all things knitted, quilted and crafted. From beanies and fingerless gloves to luxury scarves and thick woolly socks, you'll find everything you need to survive a frigid Melbourne winter. On top of cosy clothing, Cottage Industry also offers homewares like candles, mirrors, figurines and more.

Created in 2004, Leonard St specialises in clothing that features bold colours and patterns. Founder Amanda McCarthy takes inspiration from children's stories, folklore and myths to create flattering garments made from high-quality materials. Perfect for adults who like their sense of style to reflect their inner child, Leonard St is a breath of fresh air on the fashion front.

At the Standard Store, Nicola and Orlando Reindorf hang only the finest fabrics and cuts from European labels like Kate Sheridan, Mr Natty and Sessun. Stand out from the Melbourne crowd by dressing in all of the brands loved by Parisians, New Yorkers and Londoners.  

With a tagline on its website simply stating 'We make nice clothes', you can be sure that this Melbourne-based brand is all about well-made, understated garments with none of the fiddly impractical trappings that you might find elsewhere. All of the garments are produced in small, family-owned and operated factories where employees are paid fairly for their work. You'll find a little bit of everything here, from tops and bottoms to footwear, outerwear and accessories.

Chain store shopping can be so depressing. If you’re after something edgy and unique, the Signet Bureau is your shop. Founded in 2007 as a designer-owned and operated retail gallery space, this shop was one of Melbourne's pioneers in the slow fashion movement. You'll find garments made by international and Melbourne-based creators who share those values. 

Ever wondered how working-class guys in old photos managed to look so dapper? Wonder no more. Pickings and Parry celebrates handsome, robust things made to last in time-honoured ways. You'll find brass and brown leather stationery sets and pocketknives, tweed caps, sturdy-soled work boots, motoring goggles and niche literature. There’s even a baby barbershop tucked in the back. Enjoy a haircut, straight-razor shave or beard and moustache trim, and leave with pomades and unguents for your own bathroom. 

About Space pairs a retro aesthetic with modern warehouse chic. Its lighting fixtures are to die for, and if you’ve walked along Gertrude Street at night before, you would have been one of the many punters staring in wonder at the glorious illuminated front windows.

Le Labo never advertises, and it doesn’t need to. The perfume brand that started out in NYC’s trendy Nolita district in 2006 has created a cult following with its unisex scents, stripped back aesthetic and personalised service. The Gertrude Street store is unassuming for a perfumery with such a fervent following. The perfume range is presented on an old writing desk, and Le Labo’s range of toiletries and scented candles are the only things adorning the walls. At the back is the fragrance lab where perfumes are blended on purchase, to ensure that the fragrances are at their peak when customers take them home. 

This not-for-profit arts organisation offers printmaking classes and fine art printing services, but you can also wander inside and have a look at high-quality Australian prints available for purchase. Support local artists by decorating your home with some new works. 

A striking and always vibrantly window-dressed Victorian corner terrace has been home to this Fitzroy institution for more than 25 years. With ten colourful rooms of wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling costumes, wigs, hats and accessories, you’re pretty much guaranteed to find what you’re looking for – and have a ball searching for it. As befits the location, the stock is imaginative and unusual, and the savvy staff members, all poached from an art and design background, are passionate about helping customers build their outfit from the ground up and then tweak it to get it spot on. 

After launching at the South Melbourne Market more than ten years ago, Rollie Nation opened its first bricks-and-mortar store on Gertrude Street. In addition to a retail space slinging its range of store-exclusive, ultra-cool sneakers, slides, sandals and boots, there's also a digital gallery – dubbed RollieX – supporting local and emerging NFT artists.

Getting your hands on the coveted Ordinary products as an Australian is the only roadblock – or was, until the brand announced that it was opening its very first Australian bricks-and-mortar store right here in Fitzroy. Whatever your skincare needs are, the Ordinary is bound to have a product to suit them. But if you want to sample some of the products that have sent the world into a frenzy, try cult favourites like the squalene cleanser, the glycolic acid toning solution and the two per cent hyaluronic acid spiked with B5 vitamins.