Located on one of Brisbane’s most stylish retail boulevards, James Street, Samantha Ogilvie’s eponymous boutique has attracted a loyal following of fashionistas, drawn to her globally sourced offering.
Samantha Ogilvie travels often and her innate sense of style has secured her a place in the wardrobes of busy and style savvy women about town looking for the perfect outfit for any occasion. A refreshing fashion sanctuary, hers is not just another high-end clothing store, but a space imbued with a team of helpers, suggesters and stylers in “a communal sort of atmosphere where it’s more than just selling clothes”.
For 12 years, Ogilvie has been traversing the world, scouting the best fashion finds and returning with a selection of favourites for her eager clientele, chosen from leading established and emerging labels internationally. Samantha Ogilvie has shaped her name into a notable presence in the Brisbane fashion landscape — a world away from her original path, studying at university in her youth. Ogilvie studied psychology, social work and teaching. “Psychology was what I wanted to do but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with it, so it’s funny that I ended up in fashion.” A logical progression perhaps.
After Ogilvie finished her teaching degree in Australia, she turned to travel, and was drawn to London’s retail scene. From starting up the menswear department for Versace in Harvey Nichols to joining Country Road, her training extended over oceans and borders. During her early fashion years, Ogilvie identified a gap in the market for imported labels. “There was a great friend I worked with who started a store on Mary Street back in the 90s and she had brought in some American labels but when she closed, there was a huge gap that needed filling. So, there was a shop available and my husband said `come on, now’s the time’.” Sam’s husband is prominent long established Brisbane menswear retailer Mitchell Ogilvie.
Samantha Ogilvie was one of the first boutiques in Brisbane to start buying and selling in season. However, there have been other contributors to success. “I think we originally started with the right aesthetic and the right way of treating people,” Samantha said. “We can hold our head up high in that regard.”
Ogilvie has recently expanded her growing retail empire taking on the much loved Maryon’s Shoes stores, extending her successful formula to more fully cater for dressing her clients from head to toe. Samantha is ever conscious of her regular and loyal customers when combing collections during her regular style pilgrimages abroad. She always has her customers slash friends front of mind when buying fashion. “We pull together an edit of some of the best contemporary labels in the world, buying with specific customers in mind. Our level of personalised service is unrivalled, and we’re proud of that.”
Like anything else in life, you have to love it to do it well, something that is palpable at Samantha Ogilvie’s boutique. “It has been amazing.”
Readers also enjoyed this story about designer Ashley from The Aurum Collective.
