Is Hawksburn’s portion of Malvern Road becoming a cool destination for retail therapy again? Seems so. The wonderful Grace and Husk boutiques remain, joined by a newly minted Bassike. And now Carl Kapp has officially cut the ribbon on his first boutique in Melbourne along the strip.

The space is a minimalist gallery – scented with sweet musk – which shows off a spectrum of his coloured silk gowns. There’s an urban garden of cacti and succulents growing behind the sales desk and a miniature army of toucans in the windows. “I’m obsessed with toucans,” explains Carl, “I’ve even tried ringing customs to see if I could have some, but they’re not allowed in the country…and then they got suspicious”. His South African accent perhaps? “And they are about $25,000 a pair.”

Melburnians can now get obsessed with Carl’s lightly draped pieces and his shoe collaboration with Tristan Blair for much less than that.

Find Carl Kapp at 574 Malvern Road Hawksburn.