MECCA Brands

What a milestone! We've officially reached a million Instagram followers on @MECCAbeauty – a true testament to the incredible community we've built through our creative content and community engagement strategy.   Our focus has always been on bringing the best of MECCA’s in-store experience to life on our social channels, with expert advice and recommendations from our store team, engaging teaser campaigns for new products and brands, and leading the way in beauty education and inspiration.   We have some BIG celebrations on the horizon, but we’re not slowing down – we’re always looking at how we can continue to innovate through our social content. And, if you aren’t part of the @MECCAbeauty community already, head over to Instagram and follow us. Here's to the next million! #MECCAmoment

In case you missed it (which would have been nearly impossible!), two weeks ago we reopened the doors to our incredible new MECCA Melbourne Central store. Opening day was filled with a ribbon cutting, live DJ, choir, MECCA-mazing dancers, fireworks and more!   Now, directly across from our original location, our new store has expanded to 730sqm! It's the ultimate destination to celebrate the love and passion of beauty, in an inclusive, diverse and playful environment.   It's a one-stop shop for our customers to explore brands, trends and services on a new level of in-store experience, including:   - A luxurious semi-private Skin Studio. - An expanded MECCA Perfumeria with a fragrance consultation table. - A carousel Playbar to test and try products. - 12 makeup chairs for our artists. - A brand-new Beauty Lab to host workshops.   It took a MECCA village and creative innovation to bring this store to life, and we couldn't be more proud. Make sure to come and check it out for yourself – there's a lot to love!

Our brands are integral to MECCA – we treat each and every one as though they’re our own. So, when we’re lucky enough to have brand founders in town, we take every opportunity to immerse ourselves in their story and their products.   Last week was extra special when Donni Davy, founder of Half Magic Beauty, joined us at MECCA Support Centre all the way from Los Angeles. Best known for being the Emmy award-winning makeup artist behind 'Euphoria', Donni spent much of the week on the ground with our team, spreading the magic.   Here’s a snippet of what Donni got up to in her week Down Under: ✨ A guest appearance at our Monday Morning Meeting, greeted by eager team members (and lots of confetti). ✨ Face-to-face training with Makeup Specialists from our store teams, passing on her tips and tricks, insight into her creative process and the inside scoop on being an artist in the TV and music industries. ✨ A visit to our Sydney flagship for the official launch! ✨ Hosting Half Magic Beauty Labs – and meeting many excited customers.   Beyond the signature glitter liner and rhinestones, Donni left us with an unforgettable message that captures the essence of her brand: Half Magic is for the red carpet, the silver screen or the supermarket – it’s not about going somewhere special, it's because you are special.   A big thank you to Donni for making the trip to Australia and inspiring us all to add some glitter to our faces for the week (and beyond)!   #MECCAmoment

This month, we said #GdayGlossier and launched the iconic NYC brand into Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand). With founder Emily Weiss in market, our teams eagerly jumped on the opportunity to immerse themselves in all things Glossier, Inc. so they could share the magic of the brand with our customers.   With face-to-face training, cosy fireside chats with Emily Weiss herself, and even a Q&A at our weekly Monday Morning Meeting, there was so much to celebrate and do!   Glossier also took over our stores, with photobooths and claw machines, digital Instagram filters, and Beauty Labs to introduce customers to their iconic brands and products. Glossier was welcomed to our shores in true MECCA style! #MECCAmoment

Last Friday, we opened the doors to our new MECCA Albert Park store, located on Bunurong country in Melbourne. Situated down the street from the original store, MECCA Albert Park has been expanded to a spacious 354sqm2 and renovated into the ultimate beauty wonderland for our customers to explore, with a new artistry area located on the sunny atrium, a perfumeria space for fragrance lovers and a newly installed skin services area. Designed in partnership with Studio McQualter, everything about this store is custom, from the artisan tiles, exposed concrete pillars, polished plaster features and the bespoke marble tables throughout the space. And, in order to make a magical store, you need a magical team behind it - it took the collaboration, innovation and determination of all our MECCA teams to bring the new MECCA Albert Park to life for our customers. We can't wait to see you there!

Last year, MECCA M-POWER joined several other major philanthropic organisations in pledging our support for constitutional recognition of First Nations people. As part of that, we were privileged to meet one of two female Co-Chairs of the Uluru Dialogue, Professor Megan Davis. Professor Davis was instrumental in the design and delivery of the historic consultation process that led to the issuing of the Uluru Statement of the Heart, and ultimately to the 2023 Voice referendum.   This NAIDOC Week, we're delighted to reconnect with her through this powerful op-ed, where she explores change, hope, the importance of constitutional recognition for First Nations people and the 6.2 million friends she didn’t know she had. Read her important reflections here: https://bit.ly/4eYVix4   #NAIDOCWeek #UluruStatement #FirstNations #MECCA #MECCAMPOWER 

Founders of INTU WELLNESS, Anna Robards and Christie Whitehill, stopped by MECCA Support Centre last month to take our team through the formulations of their 'beauty super powders' during an interactive Lunch and Learn...    Here's what we learnt about their three hero products: ❤️ Gut & Skin Rejuvenation* – featuring turmeric and ginger, traditionally used in Western herbal medicine to relieve digestive discomfort. 💙 Sleep & Skin Renewal* – with hydrolysed marine collagen to maintain skin elasticity and zinc to support skin integrity. 💚 Energy & Skin Renewal* – featuring vitamin B5 to support a healthy stress response in the body and zinc to support cognitive function. Thanks for popping by and we can't wait to see you next time! * Always read the label and follow directions for use. 

Earlier this month we held our very first M-PACT Lunch and Learn, a series where we invite sustainability leaders from a range of industries to our Support Centre to share their expertise and stories about how they weave sustainable thinking into everything they do. And what a treat it was to learn from (and be fed by!) Jason Staudt, Executive Chef at St Kilda’s Stokehouse Restaurants and sustainability trailblazer. Jason shared some of the innovative and forward-thinking ways he and his team are paving the way for sustainable fine dining, and inspired our team think about the things they can do to shop, cook and eat more sustainably at home. The biggest takeaway from Jason’s session was to ‘just start’ – sustainability isn’t achieved by a few people doing it perfectly, it’s about everyone doing their bit (small or big) to help create change. Our deepest thanks to Jason and his team for such a thought-provoking chat (and fantastic lunch!). 

The Nordstrom team have been close friends of MECCA for over a decade. So, when our Founder and Co-CEO, Jo Horgan, was in the USA for the recent MECCA x Stanford Leadership Program, she jumped at the chance to sit down with Pete Nordstrom, President and Chief Brand Officer at Nordstrom, to talk all things MECCA on The Nordy Pod. Tap to listen to the episode here: https://apple.co/3KxOXea

Last week, we launched MECCA’s Leadership Program at Stanford University Graduate School of Business in Palo Alto, California, with 40 of our leaders living on campus and learning from world-leading thinkers on topics like leadership, strategy, artificial intelligence (AI), scaling businesses, design thinking, value chain planning, storytelling, stress management and longevity. They even learnt from NASCAR experts about the power of teamwork (… and how to change a tyre in less than 30 seconds).     Stanford’s motto is: “Change Lives. Change Organisations. Change the World,” and it delivered. Our leaders approached the week with a love of learning, curiosity, and a sense of adventure, and left with full minds and deeper connections.    We’re big believers in the power of education, and MECCA’s long-term partnership with Stanford will provide our senior leaders with life-changing experiences, which will help us have a greater positive impact on our team members, our customers, our brands, and the broader MECCA community.    Congratulations to the MECCA x Stanford Class of 2024!    📸 Josh Edelson Photography