After more than a decade of dominating the online fashion world with its breezy, sun-kissed aesthetic, Australian label Sabo is finally putting down roots in Sydney. The brand’s first New South Wales store is set to open its doors at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday, 29 March 2025 – and for many of its loyal fans, it’s a long-awaited moment.
Sabo, the brainchild of Brisbane sisters-in-law Thessy Batsinilas and Yiota Kouzoukas, began life as a humble fashion blog in 2011, built from a spare bedroom and a shared dream. What started as a curated collection of customised vintage finds and wholesale pieces quickly grew into a full-scale online fashion empire. Today, Sabo is known for its effortlessly feminine resortwear, inspired by the founders’ Greek heritage – think flowy fabrics, coastal tones, and silhouettes that feel like summer on skin.
Watch Thessy and Yiota’s message to Greek City Times followers here:
The brand, which designs every piece in-house from its Brisbane headquarters, now ships to over 200 countries and has found fans in some seriously stylish places – Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, and the Hadid sisters, to name a few. And while the online world gave Sabo a global footprint, the past year has seen the label making bold moves into bricks and mortar.
Their first two physical stores – in Queensland’s Westfield Chermside and Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast – opened in 2024 and were instant hits, with queues down the mall and Instagram tags flooding in. That success gave Batsinilas and Kouzoukas the green light to keep going – and for Sydney’s fashion crowd, Bondi was the obvious next step.
“Sydney has always been at the heart of our SABO community,” says Kouzoukas. “It’s where most of our Australian followers are based, and they’ve been asking for a Bondi store for years. Expanding here felt like the natural next step.”
And while Sabo is a proudly digital-native brand, the shift into retail is more than just a new sales channel – it’s about creating a real-world experience. “Having a physical space makes SABO feel even more tangible,” Kouzoukas adds. “It builds trust and allows people to connect with the brand in a way that goes beyond shopping online. It’s about bringing our vision to life and making our community feel even more a part of it.”
It’s also smart business. Batsinilas points out that the average order value (AOV) in-store is higher than online in Australia – and while bricks-and-mortar stores currently make up only 10% of Sabo’s total revenue, the Queensland locations became profitable in their early years.
“When we launched our Queensland stores, we knew they would do well, but we didn’t anticipate just how successful they would be,” she says. “That gave us a lot of confidence to expand further – and Sydney just made sense.”
Bondi, with its iconic beach culture, couldn’t be more on-brand for a label known for dreamy Mediterranean-inspired fashion. But this expansion isn’t just about chasing the sun. The move into retail will also allow Sabo to develop its winter range – giving Australian customers a reason to shop the brand all year round, not just when the temperature soars.
“Sabo is known for our beautiful, breezy summer designs,” says Batsinilas. “But during the Australian winter, our overseas summer market kicks in. Now, we’re focusing on offering our customers globally more Sabo options for winter too.”
This latest opening is just one part of a bigger plan. With two more stores expected to launch in 2025, the duo is clearly just getting started. It’s a far cry from the blog-in-a-bedroom beginnings, but the spirit of the brand remains the same – warm, coastal, and community-first.
“We’re always thinking about what’s next,” the pair say. “Right now, that means growing our presence in Australia and beyond. We’ve loved seeing the impact of our physical stores, and we know this is just the beginning.”
Sabo’s Westfield Bondi Junction store officially opens to the public on 29 March – and judging by the response in Queensland, Sydney shoppers might want to get in early.
Keep an eye out for our exclusive interview with Thessy and Yiota – coming soon.
Visit Sabo online at sabokirt.com.
Images courtesy of George Karantonis, Image Smart C/O Bourdo Photography.
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