Uptown’s cover showcases Platform, a street fashion store run by Molawin Evangelista and Cyrus Chow. Uptown drops in for a look at their passion project, which is aimed at diversifying the retail offerings of Auckland and presenting New Age thinking.

How did you guys meet?

Cyrus: We had our own ventures and were both street photographers and started chatting on Instagram. At the time, Mo wanted to open up a bookstore that sold only creative and art/design related books. I had a menswear label called The Norm Ltd. 

Mo: I was a mental health nurse and Cyrus was finishing his studies at Whitecliffe in fashion design. We had bonded over our frustration at the lack of creative spaces and retail in Auckland and had begun to formulate the idea of Platform from this.

Where did the idea for Platform come from? 

Cyrus: Our first trip to Tokyo prior to the pop-ups sparked an interest toward environments that we had never seen in Auckland before. Naturally, this was the topic of conversation going forward.

Mo: We talked a lot about what we could do and what we could contribute to the Auckland creative scene, then decided to work on bringing something new together.

Cyrus: The first Platform pop-up opened in 2017 and we opened the doors to our current permanent flagship in May 2019.

What’s unique about your shop?

Cyrus: We’re a High St retailer outside of High St that caters to much more than that. 

Mo: We specialise in bringing in objects and products from around the world that have never reached New Zealand before, yet have a big following overseas.

Cyrus: We tend to not allow crowding on the racks. We believe the customer shouldn’t have to fight with other garments just to browse.

Mo: We are an experience first. Customers get more than the clothes; it’s the experience, stories and the interactions that you have with us and the other people in the store and the significance of the products we carry. Behind the scenes, we are a design and experience company first. 

Why appointment viewing? How does it work?

Cyrus: As a retail destination, appointment viewing helps us balance the studio work that we do in the office upstairs. 

Mo: We are familiar with a lot of our customers, it’s more of a showroom atmosphere in the store.

How did you find the brands?

Mo: We decided we only wanted to bring in brands that aren’t here yet and stuff that we personally like and wear.

We concentrated on Japanese brands first and got in touch with Hender Scheme, a Japanese leather artisan label. We got on a plane within a week of them replying to us to meet them at their showroom in Tokyo. When we were there, we lined up a whole bunch of other meetings to bring brands to NZ. Since then, we’ve debuted a number of heavy-hitter brands from around the world. 

Cyrus:  We use a mix of social media, through the grapevine and referrals from affiliate brands. We are constantly looking for projects that enter the scene and we get insight from our customers too. 

Describe your customer. 

Mo: The Platform customer is someone who is typically involved, or at least interested in, the creative scene and understands what we’re trying to do and bring. While it’s a relatively small and niche demographic, it’s definitely a growing and loyal one. From fashion students to graphic design veterans, we have always catered to those who have always felt that there was something missing in Auckland. 

What is the current thing your customers can’t get enough of?

Cyrus: Awake NY (@awakenewyorkclothing on Instagram). The first day of releasing it, it was almost all gone.

What’s the best thing in your shop right now?

Cyrus: Hender Scheme (@henderscheme on Instagram) is our personal favourite, it’s a brand that has a lot to do with the history of the beginnings of the store and it’s a beautiful product.

Tell us why you stock Magazine B.

Cyrus: Each issue delves into a brand that is leaving a legacy with a balanced and holistic approach. It documents the brand, it doesn’t try to sell the brand to you. It has covered brands such as Porsche, Lululemon, Blue Bottle Coffee and IKEA and cities like Seoul and Portland.

Mo: It’s a passion project of South Korean publisher JOH. It’s our best-selling publication and we have been carrying it for the last two years.

Why should we read it?

Mo: It serves as a great deep dive into these companies and brands that have disrupted and enervated their respective industries and acts almost like a documentary in book form. Come in and have a read to see what we mean!