On August 8, Australian beauty brand Mecca opened a new flagship store on Bourke Street in central Melbourne. Spanning 4,000 square meters across three floors, it is positioned as one of the world’s largest standalone beauty stores, housing around 200 leading beauty brands, offering more than 80 services, and staffed by over 300 team members.
The store is located in the historic EW Cole Building, designed in the 1930s by architect Harry Norris and formerly home to the world-renowned Cole’s Book Arcade, once one of the largest bookstores in existence. The building underwent an extensive renovation led by Sydney-based architectural practice Studio McQualter, known for blending heritage preservation with contemporary retail design. Original features such as arched windows, terrazzo flooring, and decorative tiles have been meticulously restored.
Inside, the space is designed around the concept of an “all-day destination where every visit brings something new.” Highlights include the immersive fragrance gallery, “Perfumeria,” the “Apothecary” with onsite naturopaths offering wellness advice on issues such as sleep and gut health, the “Beauty Atelier” for hair, makeup, and nail services, and “Mecca Aesthetica,” which offers clinical skin treatments, including meso-needling and microdermabrasion. The store also houses the world’s first dedicated beauty education space, “Meccaversity Auditorium,” which will host year-round events, workshops, masterclasses, and talks.
A focal point on the ground floor is the sculptural, circular “Beauty Carousel,” a communal space where customers can try products, learn new techniques, and connect with staff. Designed to accommodate up to 12 people, it offers an environment that captures the joy of makeup, the playfulness of color, and the vibrancy of community.
In terms of design, the store features intentionally exposed structural elements, hand-finished tiles, custom furniture combining vintage and modern pieces, and large Venini pendant lights—reflecting a careful attention to materials and lighting. During renovations, original terrazzo floors and Aztec-pattern tiles from the 1930s, hidden for decades, were rediscovered, creating a harmonious dialogue between historic character and contemporary design.
Since opening its first store in Melbourne in 1997, Mecca has expanded to over 100 locations across Australia and New Zealand. This new flagship represents the culmination of that journey and serves as a vision for the future of experiential beauty retail.
Copyright © 2025 Oui Speak Fashion. All rights reserved.