Nicholas Mellamphy: Approaching Fashion as an Outsider
The founder of CABINE and former creative director of The Room at Hudson’s Bay discusses the role of luxury retail and the power in being able to step away.
“Luxury has nothing to do with value. It’s about experience, esthetics and standards.” As one of Canada’s most highly regarded industry experts, Nicholas Mellamphy is no stranger to the world of luxury. With a career that’s travelled along a consistent upward trajectory, he’s revolutionized and rebranded retail spaces, working under the likes of Joe Mimran at Club Monaco and Bonnie Brooks at The Bay in what he calls an “amazing master class from the experts in Canadian retail.”
Though he’s made his mark on the world of fashion, he originally planned to pursue a career in dance. “I always liked nice things. I grew up in the ’80s, which was the epitome of wanting more, but my background was theatre. I went to performing arts schools, and that’s what I always thought I would do. That’s why I don’t think of myself as a fashion person,” he explains. “When I go to the shows or markets, I know I’m a part of fashion, but I see myself as an outsider. I view fashion from a pop-culture perspective, as a sensibility.”
In 2009, Mellamphy was appointed creative director of The Room and played a pivotal part in turning the space into an enticing retail environment, brimming with cutting-edge brands. While the position came with a lot of responsibility, it fell together organically after a lunch-turned-business meeting in 2009. “I remember The Room existed, and I started pulling thoughts together about recreating it. Bonnie walked into the boardroom and said, ‘Have you heard of The Room?’” he continues. “I’d put together this little book about the history and significance of it, what brands we could bring to it. I pulled it out, and she was flabbergasted, because we’d never mentioned it in our initial conversations.”
From there, Mellamphy ended up working on The Room for almost seven years to the day, seeing it become successful both in Canada and internationally. In 2015, his mindset started to change. “[That summer], I literally went to the desert, did meditation, yoga, and I decided in that moment I was going to leave The Bay,” he says. “I believe everyone has a moment, and everyone should give way. I couldn’t take them to the next part, but I had no idea what I wanted to do. I didn’t leave saying I was going to go to Holt Renfrew or Nordstrom. I just knew I wanted to step away.”
“When I Go To The Shows Or Markets, I Know I’m A Part Of Fashion, But I See Myself As An Outsider. I View Fashion From A Popculture Perspective, As A Sensibility”
Though he didn’t know it then, Mellamphy would soon go on to launch CABINE, a retail proposition described as “a by-invitation, by-appointment luxury retail experience with bespoke buys as its centrepiece.” He shares how the name CABINE was inspired by traditional couture, when houses would have a cabine, or studio, of mannequins. He wanted to evoke the idea of entering another world behind the scenes of a fashion house or backstage at the theatre. “One of my clients asked me to find a dress for her,” he continues, when describing how the idea for CABINE was born. “So I reached out to a designer, and we had it made. Through that, a light went off.”
Mellamphy says that entering CABINE feels a lot like walking into his own apartment. He wants it to feel personal, approachable, with interior design details that change frequently. “I don’t want people to think it’s elitist. I wanted to just shrink it, so it’s about service to make sure I can get these women what they want. I go to the shows, showrooms, and I report back what I see. Then we edit it down until it’s comfortable for both myself and them. It’s sustainable, luxury retail. It’s not about having racks of clothes, but a highly selected wardrobe for the season.”
