In summary

  • Swinburne's _now store at the Hawthorn campus will open on 28 February with the welcome back to students for Semester 1
  • The _now store will give student, alumni and staff brands a chance to increase their exposure through a brick-and-mortar retail space
  • The space was designed and developed by Swinburne visual merchandising, marketing and communications, interior design and product design students

A new store will open in February 2022 at Swinburne University of Technology’s Hawthorn campus to showcase merchandise and work from students, alumni and staff.

The _now store will bring the ‘next gen_now’ spirit to life by ideating and creating this unique retail incubation space dedicated to supporting Swinburne’s creative, innovative and entrepreneurial community.  

The _now store soft launched at the Swinburne Change of Preference (COP) Expo and Afterparty at the end of 2021 for Year 12 students visiting the campus – many for the first time.

Leveraging Swinburne’s credentials in technology, creativity, and innovation, the next gen_now platform – created with leader in the tech innovation space, Deloitte Digital – positions the university as a prototype for new ways of studying. Always at the cutting edge of what’s next.

The _now store will give student, alumni and staff brands a chance to increase their exposure through a brick-and-mortar retail space. It will feature Swinburne’s new next gen_now merchandise and a boutique selection of well-known products from alumni companies, such as reusable water bottles from memobottle, environmentally friendly straws from Little Green Panda and digital art from DG DESIGNS.

Dominique Gauci, Swinburne Bachelor of Design (Communication Design) alum and founder of DG DESIGNS says, “I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to showcase my business. DG DESIGNS evolved based on the skills I acquired through my years at Swinburne. It’s great to continue a relationship with the university that helped me get to where I am today.”

“As for the store, it looks amazing. It truly exceeded my expectations in terms of the fit out – very New York warehouse meets industrial chic. Friends and family will definitely pay a visit once the semester starts up.”

The _now store has been designed and developed by Swinburne visual merchandising, marketing and communications, interior design and product design students as an incubator for the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Student and Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi artist Katie Bugden’s face masks tell a story of how lockdown has affected Victorians.

“The _now store will be a champion of the cutting-edge technology, innovation and entrepreneurship Swinburne students, alumni and staff are renowned for,” says Vice-Chancellor Professor Pascale Quester.

“Swinburne’s goal is for every Swinburne tertiary and vocational graduate, including our alumni, to be a job taker or a job creator in a future world of work. We are committed to doing things differently. The _now store is a prototype for career support for our talented and innovative entrepreneurs.”

Visit for yourself

The _now store officially opens its doors on Monday 28 February 2022. It is located on the ground floor of the SPS Building, 24 Wakefield Street on Swinburne's Hawthorn campus.

It will be open Monday to Friday, 9am–4pm.

Related articles