Camilla has opened a new bricks-and-mortar boutique in Dallas, Texas in the USA.
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the designer Australian brand opened the store within eight weeks.
However, CEO Jane McNally said that while the store launched in a short timeframe, the planning behind the launch was years in the making.
"Texas has long been a friend of the brand," she said.
"We’ve been building our Camilla tribe in the US for over 10 years now and have been selling selected product through wholesale partners in Dallas for almost eight years.
"When we looked at where we wanted to pitch our next Camilla tent, we analysed the online and wholesale data and knew it had to be Texas," she said.
Dallas is the third bricks-and-mortar store for Camilla in America, joining stores in Miami and Costa Mesa.
With COVID restrictions in place, the Camilla team had to coordinate remotely to open the store, McNally added.
"It was apparent that our customers liked what they had seen so far and were thirsty for more.
"We actually converted what had been a confectionery shop – but in a great location opposite Apple and next to Nordstrom – into a designer boutique in a record eight-week time horizon.
"It was definitely all hands on deck.
"You can do so much remotely now in terms of store design and shop floor layouts but we also have a very strong retail team in our Miami store who became our physical eyes and ears in Dallas – supporting on the ground logistics and recruitment," McNally explained.
The boutique is located in Northpark Centre and joins other luxury brands including Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana, Saint Laurent and Gucci.
The store is wrapped floor to ceiling in hand-drawn Camilla prints and offers customers an immersive shopping experience, founder Camilla Franks said.
"I want everyone to feel as though they've fallen down the rabbit hole when stepping across the threshold into my new Dallas boutique," she said.
"Regardless of whether it's your first time in one of our spaces or just your first time this week, we want you to experience our magic, and leave a new person, knowing yourself that little bit better," she said.
McNally added that the brand will continue to open stores in the US in the coming months.
"As people come through these bleak times, both economically and personally, it’s perhaps understandable how much appetite has grown for colour and vibrancy in clothing," she said.
"What we’re seeing in the States right now is a renewed zest for life, and a hunger for maximalism as people start to party and attend events again.
"Camilla meets that need right now.
"The three stores we’ve now opened in the US have gone straight to the top of our store rankings, and we want to open at least another seven or eight stateside stores within the next three years.
"It’s very exciting what’s happening in the US right now and I see that trend expanding as other countries emerge from lockdown," she said.
The boutique builds on Camilla's strong wholesale partnerships in the US with Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Revolve.
Additionally, the brand is available to customers via its website.
Internationally, Camilla is available via 250 stockists in 55 countries.
The luxury brand was founded in Sydney's Bondi Beach in 2004.
The Dallas boutique is leased to the brand on a 12-month 'pop-up' basis.
