Modern Streetwear Meets Retro Vibes: Say Hello To Never Trev

As Area Manager for Denim + Cloth, Sarah Waldron spent a decade learning about every aspect of the fashion business. So when her boss decided to move on from the Norwood location, it was a no-brainer to take over the site. “I've worked at all three Denim + Cloth locations for the last 10 years, and this has the highest volume of foot traffic,” she says. “We’re in a prime location and there aren’t really any menswear options around – I feel like it’s a bit of a missing market.” There was just one catch: she’d need to start an entirely new business to take over the site. Enter Never Trev.

Despite the emphasis on menswear, the new store stocks both men’s and women’s fashion and the racks are filled with streetwear brands like Lee, Industrie, Abrand, Neuw and G-Star. “I wanted versatile pieces that people can layer up and wear all day, every day,” she explains. “They can wear them as everyday street clothes, or they can dress them up at night to go out for dinner.”

Along with a catchy new name, Sarah had a specific look in mind for the new streetwear store, which opened at the start of April. Instead of clothes piled all the way to the ceiling, she’s created a homely, welcoming atmosphere that she describes as “mid-century with a touch of modern.” That means dressing rooms with arched portals and green velvet curtains, a muted colour palette and retro touches like the display of vintage album covers along one wall. A common area with a couch and coffee table sourced from op shops completes the sense that Sarah has transported her own home to 153 The Parade.

So it’s no surprise that she did most of the work herself, alongside her husband and teenage kids. That meant plenty of trips to the local Bunnings store, “and one day I went in and this ridiculously attractive boy was serving me,” she recalls with a laugh. “So I came back the next day and left my details with all of his colleagues and for about a week and a half I kept going back to see if he was there until eventually I asked him to be the face of Never Trev.” Despite never modelling before, this handsome young man agreed and now his face is all over the business’ Instagram account as well as posters and gift cards in-store.

Though many customers assume this is the Trevor the store is named after, the model’s name is actually Luther. “There is no Trev,” Sarah reveals with a smile. “I wanted something a bit catchy and my husband and I always say ‘whatever Trev’ when we’re talking to each other. So one day I was saying to him that I never in my wildest dreams thought that we would open our own store, and as soon as I said it, Never Trev came together and it was so catchy.”

Sarah has already run several promotions offering discounts to customers named Trev, but she’s even more excited about another upcoming event. Her mother, father and brother have all had cancer, and she has raised $80,000 for the Hospital Research Foundation over the last few years. “I haven’t been able to host any events this year, and I really wanted to incorporate that into the business in some way, so on Saturday July 13, 50 cents from every dollar spent in the store will be going to the Hospital Research Foundation. It’s just for one day, but I want to make a bit of a deal about it on The Parade and get everybody behind it.”