Fashion label takes lease in Melbourne's Chapel Street

Bali-via-Melbourne womenswear brand Mister Zimi has leased prime retail space in Melbourne’s South Yarra for its latest boutique.

The shop at 555A Chapel Street will be label’s fourth outlet.

The lease for the shop which has an area of 121 sqm, was negotiated for $145,000 per annum plus GST and outgoings. It was signed for four years with options for another four.

The deal was brokered by Jordan Ceppi of Fitzroys, who said the strong rental and long-term lease achieved in the prime section of the iconic retail strip demonstrated the confidence businesses have in Chapel Street’s future prospects.

“A label of the calibre of Mister Zimi selecting Chapel Street for its next site is the latest show of faith that the precinct is on its way up,” said Ceppi.

The Chapel Street shop will be the husband-and-wife run label’s fourth outlet, following Melbourne sites in nearby suburbs Armadale and Albert Park, as well as Byron Bay.

The business grew from a leather jacket designed by Zoe Paul and handmade by a local tailor on a trip to Bali with her husband Jimi in 2007.

The Pauls established the label in 2008 and relocated to Bali in 2010 to focus on their business. Designs are a fusion of Australian and Balinese influences and feature patterned and exotic prints, and offer inter-seasonal dresses, swimwear, footwear and accessories. Each is created individually, catering to individual needs, look and body type.

As well as having grown to four stores, the label has a strong social media following, with more than 123,000 Instagram followers and 42,500 Facebook page likes.

“The local residential population has continued to boom and is underpinning the future upside of the strip, led by the nearby Forrest Hill project that is home to nearly 4,000 residents and has seen around $2 billion worth of construction take place,” he said.