Frankie & Friends General Store, a Philippine homegrown fashion and lifestyle retailer known for promoting local craftsmanship has recently opened its first international store in the upscale and busy area of Paddington in Sydney, Australia.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through its overseas trade office in Sydney, said the opening of Frankie & Friends in Australia last March 30 was a “testament to the capability of Philippine companies to globalize their brands.”
It added that the expansion provides a sustainable development platform for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to serve a bigger audience: the affluent and lucrative Australian lifestyle and gifting market valued at AUD20 billion.
Started in 2018 with a shop at the SM Aura in Taguig City and eventually in two centrally-located stores in the Philippines, Frankie & Friends’ invasion of the Australian shores provides inspiration to small businesses who are intentional with how they create their products that falls into three categories: sustainability, slow and ethical fashion, and small-batch handmade creations.
While it carries a wide range of categories from fashion pieces, home items, children’s clothing and toys, personal care, and novelty items crafted by hundreds of makers, the company’s mission is to “reinvent” retail through conscious consumption by cultivating a purpose-driven community of artisans, makers, social entrepreneurs, and connect more people to their stories and creations.
Katrina San Juan, Frankie & Friends store manager and creative director for Paddington said, “Our concept originated in the Philippines, but our company aspires to create a space where we can empower and support the culture of ‘shopping small’ by elevating local craftsmanship around the world, regardless of the neighborhood and city we set up shop in.”
Majority of the products being sold at Frankie & Friends are sourced and made in the Philippines, and all are carefully curated per category.
To date, the store, which has become the home for Filipino startup products, has partnered with around fifty brands it carries in its physical shops.