Romina Gil de Matos

In 2005, at the age of 23, Romina aban-doned a career in Psychology to pursue a passion for art, design and culture. ¤ She packed her bags and headed to Tokyo and London, eventually returning with a burning desire to launch an (over-ly) ambitious retail project. ¤ She set out to establish a pioneer concept store showcasing an innovative selection of internationally-sourced design objects, previously unseen in Australia. ¤ The enterprise was a real

gamble as she wasn't sure the clientele for these collections existed in Australia. However, she forged on, and a year later hugged her first customer.

TEST TUBE // THE ORDINARY : LESS ORDINARY

The mantra behind Test Tube was 'the ordinary : less ordinary'. Each touch-point (the fit-out, bags, business cards, press campaigns) played their part in creating a place of discovery and experimentation.

Further travel to Milan and New York, and hours spent reading and researching, led to the discovery of niche collections such as Esque Design, Sarah Cihat, Designfenzider, Industreal, Kiki van Eijk, Pepe Heykoop and Qubus. It was an exciting accomplishment to introduce them to the Australian market.

The criteria for product selection was simple - it had to challenge, excite or repulse. Test Tube's reputation quickly grew and attracted curious clients from all over Australia and beyond.

Romina holds fond memories of her time at Test Tube and its achievements. In a small way, it helped to change the retail landscape in Australia.

The store allowed her to connect with brilliant minds, locally, nationally and internationally. It was a humbling experience to create a small community where people connected with beautiful objects and design. Yet, a few years later, she knew she needed to challenge herself once again.

She had caught the retail bug.

In early 2008, buoyed by Test Tube’s success, Romina and her business partner took another leap into the retail wilderness

with the establishment of Zekka.

Zekka, named for her uncle, was fuelled by blind ambition. Zekka sought uncharted territory – the cutting-edge menswear market in Perth, Western Australia.

Focusing on a small client base (mostly made up of Test Tube clientele) who were regularly travelling interstate and overseas to buy high-end fashion, she set out to create a unique space and experience that would match any in the world.

Taking the concept of a 'cabinet of curiosities' into a turn-of-the-century downtown site, as much of the original architectural features as possible were

restored. Adding another dimension to the retail space, a café was set up at the rear, drawing people who were as discerning about their coffee as they were about their clothes.

Seeking to challenge the norm, led Romina to represent a group of designers whose collections would be at home in any major city.

Armed with a steely determination they headed to Paris and Tokyo to try and convince respected and revered fashion houses to allow two kids from Perth to represent their collections in a new store in an unheard of city. Using the continuing success of Test Tube as a benchmark, they went on to introduce Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe, Raf Simons, Number (N)ine,

Y-3, Rick Owens and Ann Demeulemeester to the male market in Perth.

Looking back, Romina concedes it was an exhilarating and (at times) arduous experience challenging and eventually conquering the male market in Perth. But over the years, perseverance and bucket loads of blood, sweat and tears resulted in a dedicated clientele from all walks of life.

Witnessing a client's passion, knowledge and wardrobe grow, is what has kept Romina striving.

ZEKKA2Following on the success of the first Zekka store, it wasn’t long before women started demanding their own collections. So in 2009, Zekka expanded into womenswear. Housed on the top floor of the men's store, the original women’s space (an all-white showroom lit with red neon) was by appointment only. However, it wasn't long before demand for the women's collection grew beyond the capacity of the space.In 2010, Zekka (Shenton Park) opened in an old travel agency in the leafy suburb of Shenton Park.

Romina had a very deliberate focus for this store - luxury meets DIY, elegance meets home-grown.

Zekka felt like an extension of one’s home; a place you could bring your dog, pull up a chair and, if you felt like it, buy some clothes. Romina set out to create an intimate environment that allowed for dedicated one-on-one service – a feature that really sets Zekka apart. To this day, clients (many now life-long friends) remark on the calming effect of the space, a fact Romina takes immense pride in.

This level of dedicated service harked back to Test Tube days, where educating the client was key. In the case of both Test Tube and Zekka, many of the collections were previously unseen in Australia, so giving the client a deeper awareness and understanding, in order to connect with the product, was vital.

Eventually, the convenience of the Shenton Park store saw the men’s collections relocate to this smaller, more intimate, space. Closing the downtown store was an end of an era.

Riding the tumultuous retail road hasn’t been easy. At times, it’s been more painful than enjoyable. Years later, having introduced numerous collections to the market and having been amongst a handful of stores carrying the most progressive designers, Zekka is now recognized internationally. The hard work and sacrifice has been worth it.

Yet, once again, the need to challenge and evolve came knocking.

Zekka (Shenton Park) was deliberately raw and minimal. The concept being that the evolving collections dictated the choice of furniture, art and installations in-store.

A bit of soul searching led her to realise that she had spent the past ten years working independently and making up the rules as she went along. She felt the need to hone her self-taught skills and put all she had learned to the test.

She had her sights on Block Branding, an award-winning brand consultancy offering strategic and creative services to local and international clients. Block specialises in brand strategy development and played a pivotal role in creating the brand identity for both Test Tube and Zekka. Block actually made Romina cry (with joy) when she saw Test Tube’s initial concepts.

B L O C K In 2012 Romina was restless, and felt the need to sink her teeth into something new.

But we also know you must find a way to stand out

So she landed in the office of partners Tanya Sim and Mark Braddock, informing them she wanted a job. To her surprise they said yes, and so Romina went from former client to a freelance employee.

At Block, Romina works closely with the Creative Director to provide inspiration and strategic insights used to develop a client’s overall brand and visual identity. She has been fortunate to

work on a varied roster of clients such as Feral Brewing Company, Kailis Jewellery, Perth Fashion Festival, The Treasury Hotel, Ravenhill Farm and the Southern Forest Food Council.

Kailis Jewellery creates pieces for a woman of sophistication

and achievement. She is genuine, says no to trends but yes to

style and has the con� dence to wear her pearls how and when

she pleases. These qualities can also be found in the mythology

of Aphrodite. It has been said that pearls were the tears of joy

that she shed and are now a symbol of love, beauty and the

purity of the ocean. This mythology of the sea and a beautiful,

powerful goddess represents the essence of the Kailis woman.

t h e g r a c i o u s w o m a n

Romina's time at Block has expanded her thinking about how brands are defined and expressed. Seeing brands transformed and created through the strategic and creative process has given her an insight beyond the fashion and design worlds.

B LO C K

Her time at Block and her extensive retail experience have equipped Romina with a deep understanding of branding and its manifestations. ¤ Having spent the last ten years establishing her place in Australia’s retail scene, Romina is eager to, yet again, leap into the unknown.

Whilst she is proud of her accomplishments, she isn’t done yet and wants work with the very best creative minds, wherever this may lead her.

romina.gildematos@zekka.com