MECCA Brands

This year, MECCA MAX returned as the Official Makeup Partner of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. With the theme, March with MECCA MAX, we invited our team members, customers, and community to share what they’re marching for and showcase the beauty of self-expression. We’re so proud of the six store team members who took centre stage in the campaign and brought it to life. Their stories were the heart of our campaign, embodying the spirit of inclusion and pride. You can read more on MECCA Memo.  We celebrated at Fair Day with our MECCA makeup artists helping 300 festival-goers get Mardi Gras-ready. One of the highlights was our MECCA MAX Beauty School, where celebrated MUA Max Made guided guests through a Mardi Gras makeup tutorial. It was a first for MECCA MAX to livestream this experience on TikTok, making it an unforgettable moment for all! In an epic finale, over 60 team members from our stores, Support Centre, Distribution Centre, and Customer Care teams marched down Oxford Street in the Mardi Gras Parade. It was a powerful moment seeing our team come together with the community, walking proudly in celebration of love, diversity, and individuality. What made this partnership so special wasn’t just the campaign or activations – it was the incredible people who joined us and brought it all to life with their unique spark. Thank you for marching with MECCA MAX and making this Mardi Gras one to remember!

Last week, MECCA M-POWER, Minderoo Foundation and Co-Impact brought together some of Australia’s leading philanthropists, funders, and changemakers at MECCA Support Centre to explore how philanthropy and business can work hand in hand to accelerate progress and drive real, lasting change for gender equality.   As one of Australasia’s largest philanthropic organisations, Minderoo Foundation is committed to tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges, while Co-Impact, a global philanthropic collaborative, funds women-led, locally driven initiatives that create systemic change.    We heard from Minderoo Founder Nicola Forrest, and Co-Impact Founder & CEO Olivia Leland about the transformative impact of Co-Impact’s Gender Fund - which is shifting health, education, and economic systems to create gender-equitable outcomes at scale. We also heard from Nani Zulimarni, Founder of PEKKA, who shared how flexible, long-term funding empowers locally led solutions to thrive and drive real impact on the ground in Indonesia.   This is what real progress looks like— harnessing the strength of collaboration, commitment, and a shared drive to make gender equality a reality. 

Learning, connection, and inspiration were at the heart of our biannual MECCA Retail Leadership Conference! Over three action-packed days, 400 of our passionate retail leaders from across Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand) came together in Melbourne to engage with world-renowned beauty brand founders, participate in hands-on development workshops, and enjoy an unforgettable celebration at the National Gallery of Victoria. 🌟 Want to experience a MECCA Conference for yourself? Tap here to explore exciting career opportunities and join Team MECCA: https://bit.ly/3D301zE

MECCA M-Power is excited to launch Momentum, the first in an inspiring new podcast series celebrating the trailblazers and rising stars of women’s sport!   Join us today, 24 January, from 12-1 PM at AO TOPCOURT Centre Stage for Momentum LIVE, hosted by the incredible Katherine Sasso. We’ll be diving into how we can keep the momentum growing for women’s sport. The panel will feature some of the most influential voices in women’s sport, including: Destanee Aiava, rising star of the Australian Open Sarah Styles, Director at the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (Victoria) Nicole Pratt, OLY, former professional tennis player, coach, and President of Women’s Tennis Foundation   Sport has the incredible power to bring people together, challenge norms, and drive meaningful progress toward gender equality. Women’s tennis has long been at the forefront of this movement, with players leading the way in transforming both the game and society in general. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from key leaders shaping the future of sport and its role in driving change—brought to you by MECCA M-Power and Missing Perspectives. Open to all with an Australian Open Ground Pass. If you can't make it down to listen to the live podcast, the Momentum series is now available: https://lnkd.in/gZkdNQ-T. This is just the beginning! #theMomentumShow #MPoweringMoments #WomenInSport #AustralianOpen #AOTOPCOURT

First ace of 2025? MECCA Summer Club at the AO TOPCOURT, of course!   Join us before, between and after sets to reset, refresh and glow. We’re offering walk-in beauty appointments, a curation of courtside summer essentials, a chance to serve a selfie with our photobooth, and more.   Come for the tennis, and stay for the MECCA vibes.    Visit us with any Australian Open Ground Pass until January 26. See you there!

What started as a Lunch & Learn with Tennis Australia CEO, Craig Tiley has led to the beginning of a truly beautiful collaboration. Introducing MECCA SUMMER CLUB at AO TOPCOURT! Your ultimate beauty oasis to reset, refresh and glow at the tennis (and our first-ever partnership with a major sporting event!).    Ace your beauty with walk-in beauty appointments, shop our curation of courtside glow-up essentials and play for your chance to win. With summer tunes, refreshments and beauty in full swing – you’ll come for the tennis, stay for the MECCA vibes at AO TOPCOURT. See you there! Tennis Australia

Last Friday we opened the doors to our latest resort store, MECCA Mornington, located on the traditional lands of the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. Our new store is bathed in natural light, and is situated on the bustling main street among charming eateries and vibrant retailers. The exterior windows offer a picturesque view into Mornington's new beauty getaway.   Inside, there are six artistry stations, offering our customers the perfect service space to get their makeup done for life’s most special occasions. The new Perfumeria is home to an expanded range of luxury fragrance, ready to enchant your senses.  The grand opening was met with an enthusiastic reception from both locals and holidaymakers, creating a buzz in the fresh peninsula air. Across opening weekend we had: The MECCA Cosmetica SPF kiosk pop-up, where our community received complimentary SPF consultations and some tips on protecting their skin while exploring the beach-side town. Service experiences on offer, including Westman Atelier and Charlotte Tilbury express makeup application, Tower 28 meet-the-brand and Dyson dry-styling demonstrations - where customers could experience the magic of our hair offering.  We thank our MECCA-mazing team on their support in opening the beautiful MECCA Mornington and we can't wait to see you there!

We’re thrilled to introduce you to our new Chief Brands and Buying Officer, Lea Cranfield.   Lea has joined us all the way from the UK and brings the magic ‘trifecta’ we’ve been looking for, with experience across some of the world’s most influential luxury bricks and mortar, digital and beauty companies. With leadership roles at brands like YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP, DOVER STREET MARKET, Liberty, and END. Clothing on her resume, we can’t wait to see the incredible insights and innovation Lea will bring to MECCA.     Lea started with us last month, spending her first day with 400 of our leaders at the MECCA Retail Leadership Conference, before heading into our stores, and hitting the skies to meet with some of our global brands.    Reflecting on her first month, Lea said “I’ve had the warmest welcome from the team and our brands since I arrived at MECCA. I am very excited thinking about the opportunities ahead of us and the big plans we have for MECCA.”    Welcome to MECCA, Lea!

We believe education is the ultimate empower-er, not only for our team, but for girls and women around the world. In the final instalment of our Lunch and Learn series for this year, we had the privilege of hosting Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia. Craig has transformed the Australian Open into one of Australia’s biggest sporting events, bringing 800,000 people through the gates each year.    In a discussion with our Founder and Co-CEO Jo Horgan, they explored new ways to craft unforgettable experiences for fans and customers, the concept of ‘radical personalisation’ and the importance of being a disruptor… or risk being disrupted! He left our team inspired to continually push the boundaries of innovation and customer experience.   To top it all off, Craig’s track record in advocating for gender equality as a member of the Champions of Change Sport Group strongly aligns with MECCA’s vision and our work to support our community through MECCA M-POWER.  

Today is International Day of the Girl – a time to reflect on the state of girlhood globally, what’s holding girls back, and how we can support them to thrive.  MECCA has always been about empowering women and girls; we’re passionate about creating a world where opportunities and freedoms aren’t limited by gender. Through MECCA M-POWER, we’ve committed $25 million over 5 years as a first step towards driving meaningful progress towards gender equality – in our lifetime. This International Day of the Girl, we’ve been reflecting on beauty and its transformative power. And the opportunity we have to educate and encourage girls to use beauty not to mask who they are, but to light them up, and importantly, use it as a force for positive change.      It’s been a girl takeover – our campaign was filmed, directed and created by girls. We’ve been celebrating ‘Girl Spirit’, uplifting and celebrating girls, in collaboration with M-POWER partner The Flourish Journey. We hosted a special work experience day at MECCA HQ to give teens a unique look behind the scenes and the opportunity not just to be the boss, but to give us the gloss!     We launched a must-listen podcast series with Broad Radio, exploring the power of girlhood with The Flourish Journey and Chelsey Goodan, author of 'Underestimated: The Power and Wisdom of Teenage Girls'.  And we’ve heard the voices of other girls from our M-POWER partners YWCA, Skyline, AllPlay, CAMFED, Bridge It and Stars Foundation, who are all working to elevate and educate girls across Australia, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Africa. Thank you to everyone for celebrating girlhood with us and supporting young girls to thrive and empowering them to be their best selves.  Find out how you can continue supporting their journey and learn more about MECCA M-POWER’s work driving progress toward gender equality at mecca.com/M-POWER and by following @MECCAMPOWER on Instagram. #MECCAmoment #DayOfTheGirl #MECCAMPOWER