Knox Street Archives - Double Bay Today

New York Fashion House Rag & Bone Debuts in Double Bay

American fashion house Rag & Bone is set to unveil its newest Australian location in Double Bay later this month.

Read: Luxury Vision: $18M Proposal Aims to Transform Cross Street in Double Bay

The store opening on Friday, 29 November 2024 marks a strategic milestone for Signal Brands Australia, bringing the brand’s signature blend of sophisticated craftsmanship and contemporary style to one of Sydney’s most fashionable neighbourhoods.

Situated at 31-33 Knox Street, the new boutique seamlessly integrates Rag & Bone’s characteristic urban aesthetic with Double Bay’s refined atmosphere. The store’s design creates an approachable yet elevated shopping environment that resonates with the precinct’s sophisticated character while staying true to the brand’s New York roots.

Paul Smith, Managing Director of Signal Brands Australia, expressed enthusiasm about the location choice. He said that Double Bay’s vibrant, cosmopolitan energy and fashion-forward community had long attracted the brand’s attention. He emphasised that the new location would offer customers an immersive experience reflecting the brand’s essence, combining timeless design with distinctive edge.

The carefully curated store will showcase the full spectrum of Rag & Bone’s offerings for both men and women. Customers can explore everything from the brand’s renowned denim collection to tailored jackets, sophisticated outerwear, accessories, and footwear. Each piece embodies the brand’s commitment to quality craftsmanship and contemporary design.

To commemorate the opening, the Double Bay location will host a week-long celebration featuring exclusive in-store promotions, including special gifts with purchase and complimentary beverages for shoppers. These offerings are designed to welcome customers to experience the brand’s unique approach to modern fashion.

Read: Double Bay Tops ATO List as Australia’s Wealthiest Postcode

Since its founding in New York in 2002, Rag & Bone has established itself as a formidable presence in the international fashion landscape. The brand has garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success by masterfully combining authentic heritage elements with modern details. Its signature aesthetic—an understated yet edgy New York sensibility—has resonated with fashion enthusiasts worldwide, making it a go-to label for innately wearable clothing.

Published 23-November-2024

Plans for Knox Street Pedestrian Plaza Postponed

Plans to build a pedestrian plaza on Knox Street have been knocked back indefinitely due to insufficient funding and significant pushback from the community.

By a vote of 8 to 5 members, the Woollahra Council planning committee has recommended the postponement of the project “due in the main to cost escalations and the resultant insufficient funding.”

It cited that requests for additional funding from the Department of Planning and Environment did not deliver a favourable result as “no extra funding is available at present.”

The pedestrian plaza project, however, received a $4.75-million funding commitment from the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program but it required the project to be completed by the end of 2022.

Council conducted a series of community consultations for this revitalisation between 2021 and 2022. Whilst some residents said the plan will “vibrancy and vitality to the local area,” others counter-argued that Knox Street could be further congested.

Mayor Susan Wayne advocated for the project, which has ignited a debate among the councillors. Cr Sean Carmichael, who formerly supported the pedestrian plaza, reversed his stand after he saw that both residents and businesses on Knox Street were not behind the proposal.

However, the General Manager of Woollahra will still continue to investigate and look for alternative pedestrian plaza projects in Double Bay that could fall under the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program. Options will be presented in the next Council meeting on the 5th of December 2022.

New Knox Street Pedestrian Plaza Coming Soon

Photo Credit: Woollahra Municipal Council / yoursay.woollahra.nsw.gov.au

A new pedestrian plaza is coming to Knox Street, Double Bay. Despite some opposition, Woollahra Council endorsed the concept design and agreed to push through with the plans.

Amid concerns from residents and business owners, including traffic and loss of parking, the planned transformation of Knox Street into a pedestrianised plaza will push through, utilising the $4.75 million NSW Government grant under its Spaces Legacy Program.

The proposed plan will involve a section of Knox Street between the Bay Street intersection and Goldman Lane. The development will deliver new lighting, planting, public art and seating.

“The new plaza will provide extra space for people to gather, rest and relax in a leafy and welcoming environment. It will also create potential for new events, markets, activations and outdoor dining experiences in an already well-loved and inviting part of Double Bay,” the Woollahra Council page said.

Landscape plan | Photo Credit: Woollahra Municipal Council / yoursay.woollahra.nsw.gov.au

Guilfoyle Square | Photo Credit: Woollahra Municipal Council / yoursay.woollahra.nsw.gov.au

Outdoor Dining Pads | Photo Credit: Woollahra Municipal Council / yoursay.woollahra.nsw.gov.au

Secret garden and Knox Street | Photo Credit: Woollahra Municipal Council / yoursay.woollahra.nsw.gov.au

The concept design was placed in a public exhibition last February 2022 which drew 97 online submissions and 64 submissions via email. Whilst some are supportive of removing cars from the street and giving priority to pedestrians, others expressed concerns over possible traffic congestion and removal of parking.

“The Knox Street Pedestrian Plaza concept design has received support in regards to the design through the public exhibition and it is recommended that Council proceed with detailed design and construction to provide the Double Bay Commercial Centre with a vibrant and engaging space that gives Double Bay an exciting new destination.,” the Council’s Finance, Community & Services Committee Meeting Report said.

The next stage will involve the development of a detailed design and tender process for the construction of the project. The Knox Street pedestrian plaza is expected to be completed in late June 2023.

For more information and updates about the Knox Street Pedestrian Plaza, click here.

Have Your Say On Knox Street Pedestrian Plaza

Photo credit: Google Street View

Locals are being invited to have their say regarding plans to transform a part of Knox Street, Double Bay into a permanent pedestrian plaza.

Read: New Public Plaza to Open on Knox Street, Double Bay

A short survey will run until Wednesday, 23 February 2022 to ask residents for their opinions about the released concept designs for the project.

In September 2021, Woollahra Council held an initial consultation, which revealed that 91 per cent of respondents prefer to see outdoor dining in this space whilst 86 per cent would like to see the space have a ‘spacious and leafy’ feel.

Following a consultation with the community, Council designated architects from Aspect Studios to come up with architectural plans for the site.

The council is seeking to pedestrianise a section of Knox Street (between the Bay Street intersection and Goldman Lane), adding new lighting, plantings, public art and seating for the community.

The proposed Knox Street pedestrian plaza is part of the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program and estimated to cost around $4.75 million. If approved, Council will start construction in mid 2022 and will open the plaza by January 2023.

Read: Melbourne’s Favourite Bakery Opening New Location In Double Bay

Mixed Reactions

Whilst the plans have received many positive responses from locals living nearby, there are a few residents who oppose the new pedestrianised public plaza.

A few business owners from Knox St and residents from Cosmo Centre hope the council will reconsider their plans and tweak certain aspects of the proposal.

Locals wanted to see street parking retained but they also want to widen pedestrian paths by reducing traffic lanes from three to one. There are also a few who suggested temporary bollards which could be erected to close the street during events.

New Public Plaza to Open on Knox Street, Double Bay

Plans are in the works to create a public plaza on Knox Street, as part of upgrades to eco-friendly public places of a new, $250-million state program called the Public Spaces Legacy Program.

According to Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, the funding has managed to support 60 successful council proposals for over a hundred projects — one of which calls for the creation of an all-new public plaza in Knox Street, Double Bay.

The Woollahra Municipal Council’s proposal, titled Enhancing and Revitalising Woollahra’s Iconic Spaces Project, aims to create a pedestrianised public plaza in Knox Street that comes complete with new plantings, lighting, public art and seating areas. In order to construct the plaza, the local council has received a $4.75 million grant.

Photo credit: CC BY/J Bar/Wikimedia Commons

“This pandemic has reminded us of the immense value we all place on our public spaces – our parks, streets, plazas, cycleways, foreshores, bushland and walking trails,” said Mr Perrottet. “This program and the funding behind it will not only lead to better public spaces, but the work to construct them will boost local economies through the creation of more jobs.”

The new plaza is estimated to be complete and open to the public by the end of 2022. To learn more about the Public Spaces Legacy Program, read about it on New South Wales Government’s website here.