Meet the retailer: Prime

Fact: if you live in Melbourne, you know Prime.

The streetwear icon has been kicking it in its St Kilda home for 20 years, with a range of threads and sneakers otherwise (very) hard to find in Aus.

With two locations in Melbourne, we paid a visit to the store's St Kilda home and caught five with general manager Seany Flipp. If there's ever been a name befitting of someone's role, hers is it.

Photography: Kamilla Musland

Tell us about Prime. Established in 1997, our St Kilda store is the original; the heart and soul of Prime. It stands as an icon on the corner of Barkly Street and Blessington Street, showcasing the entire Prime selection of classic footwear and clothing.

What’s your point of difference? We stock a wide range of local and international brands that are hard to come by in Australia. Fred Perry, Levi’s Vintage, Naked & Famous, NN07, Nike, Adidas, Carhartt and we just received the brand Jackman – amazing handmade Japanese sweats and tees. And of course, Triumph & Disaster.

Who’s coming into the space? We have a great following, as we have been around for 20 years! We have school kids who come in wanting sneakers and tees, to older men and women who want entire outfits.

What do you love most about Triumph & Disaster? The unique personality of the packaging and quirkiness of each product. A lot of our customers love the fact that it comes from little New Zealand and most people come back to buy more!

What’s your favourite product in the range? My personal favourite is the Ritual Face Cleanser – so fresh and minty!

What’s your favourite part of being at your location? There is no other store around the area quite like us! Also the great community we have down here in St Kilda.

What keeps the people coming back? We thrive on amazing customer services and have great rapport with all our customers.

What’s next for the business? Prime has been mostly a menswear store for the last 20 years, but we are starting to buy into a wider women’s range (which I am very excited about).

If we come to your store and leave with one thing, what should it be? A smile!