Surrounded by Swedish fashion powerhouses on all sides, Monk House Design’s newest store in the CBD is quietly flying the flag for independent Australian fashion.

Located in the heritage-listed former Money Order Post Office and Savings Bank on Driver Lane (and only a stone’s throw from H&M, COS and ACNE), Monk House’s new space makes it easier to shop for local brands such as Verner, Dress Up, Kloke, Kuwaii, Mirador and Pageant right in the middle of the city. Despite its teensy size, the CBD Monk House is stocking all the same names as the Brunswick East post.

“We could see the postcodes we were shipping to most through the online store,” says owner Roula Tzidras. “We wanted to make it more convenient for those people to come and try things on.”

While the Brunswick East boutique is all white and pinewood, the CBD store’s interior by Flack Studio is a mix of pale pink, olive-green and gold. There’s a plush green-velvet change room too.