Hey folks! It’s Halloween, huzzah!

We are again celebrating the most spooky time of the year with a WEEK LONG HALLOWEEN SALE! That’s right, from 28th October – 1st November we are offering 20% off ALL clothing & accessories: that includes all pants, tops, jackets, corsets, skirts, hair falls, hats, New Rock Boots, jewellery, contacts, anything in our cabinets excluding hair care/dye!

We have extra special treats for customers in store too, so don’t miss it =)

As some may have noticed, over the years our webstore has not really changed all that much, and slowly some things stopped working so well. We’ve had an upgrade plan in the pipeline for many moons now, and finally I’m pleased to announce we have finalised all the loose ends, and our NEW WEBSTORE is NOW LIVE! If you are a bit confused by the new interface: don’t panic! Each page from the old webstore has a link directly to the corresponding item page in the new webstore, so if you had a bookmark for a favourite item, it’s easy to just go straight to the new store. Your account and password have been transferred (encrypted) to the new webstore, but you may need to update address details when placing a new order. If you find anything not working, please let us know, we’ve done extensive testing but there was a lot of data to transfer and there may be some hiccups we haven’t yet discovered.

This move means that we will be beginning now to add a lot more in-store items to the webstore that have not been available previously online, accounts are streamlined and the look and feel matches more with the rest of the site. We hope that the change won’t be too disruptive, and as an encouragement to try out the new store, we are pleased to announce that we are having a massive 20% off ALL ITEMS in the webstore for ONE WEEK ONLY from Monday April 14th til midnight Easter Sunday. Don’t miss this ONCE ONLY sale! To access the special, make sure you have already logged in, and use the discount code “LOCKS”: easy! Sale goes live at midnight AEST.

Speaking of Easter, we also need to let you know that during the upcoming holiday period, as usual we will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Saturday (18 & 19 April). We will also be closed on ANZAC Day (Friday April 25th). All other normal trading days open as usual!

In clubbing news, if you’re not already planning on going, it’s only 2 weeks til FIEND FEST! Don’t miss Covenant, Clan of Xymox, Leaether Strip, and more, touring Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth!

Hi everyone!

Been a while since we have had a newsletter and given it’s coming up time for the usual holiday announcements, it’s fair we sent something out to let you guys know what we’ve been up to, and what’s coming up in the near future for Wildilocks!

Winter is the traditional time for quieter reflection, but we haven’t really slowed down much! We recently celebrated Lena’s one year anniversary with us (as well as one year in North Melbourne – we love it here!), and we’ve taken on a new casual senior, Emma, who completely rocks the vintage styling and fits us to a T, and also the lovely Gaelle assists us with dreadlocks too when we’re super-busy! We’ve got a few photos shared below the cut of some examples of our collective work over the last little while.

But now festival season is right around the corner, and we’d like to announce that for the first time in 5 years, Wildilocks will be holding a stall at Rainbow Serpent Festival in 2014! We’ve been so busy the last few years it hasn’t been on our radar, but with oodles of wonderful ravey and comfy alternative gear in store, we thought it would be a great time to get back into the doof! We’ll also be providing dreadlock and extension installations throughout the festival as well, so pop by and say hi to spruce up your do and make it more festive! If you don’t have Rainbow tickets yet, click the flyer to go to the site 😀

And an even more imminent event that we’re really excited about is the return to our Perth Gothic roots – as The Gathering has been fully funded and will be happening this New Year’s Eve in Perth! This is the first event in months we’ve been able to be be truly excited about – and we’ll be offering a select number of appointments just before the event in Perth, so if you need your hair did for the night – email or phone us to make an appointment!

There’s also a busy weekend ahead next weekend in Melbourne, with both the The Monster’s Ball, Titty Twister and the last Requiem for 3 months back to back.

So what else has changed/is new in the last 6 months? We have several fantastic new products we’ve taken on during this time – Biosilk Volumizing Therapy range has been released and we are in LOVE with the texturizing powder – constantly selling out! CHI has also come out with a new touchscreen hairdryer which we are finding an excellent new release, and we can also provide to clients for retail sale for use at home, for the dedicated styler! The Australian-made Everescents organic range has come out with excellent new moisture shampoo & conditioner to complement our favourite product in the world, the Cinnamon Patchouli Deep Treatment, and these have been hugely popular too. We have a limited range of Everescents Christmas Gift packs available, which make great stocking stuffers! We also have gorgeous unique glass jewellery and homewares from Nudibranch Art Glass available which are stunning and make impressive gifts, and New Rock has brought out a range of suede ballerinas and moccasins which are beautiful detailed in classic New Rock style, comfortable and practical and with the usual New Rock quality you can depend on. As always a range of new casual and club wear has graced our shelves regularly, and new stock is always arriving. And of course as always Gift Cards are available too, for that hard-to-buy-for person in your life!

So – on to our Christmas Opening Hours! For the first time ever, Wildilocks is having a PROPER break in Melbourne between Christmas and New Year. As Christmas Eve and New Years Eve fall on a Tuesday this year, we’ve made the decision to close completely between December 22nd to January 2nd – so please make sure you make all your Christmas purchases nice and early! Our last trading day before Christmas will be Saturday December 21st, and then we will reopen on Thursday January 2nd 2014!

Our Saturdays are pretty much completely booked out before Christmas but we do have some appointments on other days, so book early to avoid disappointment over the next few weeks too.

Oh yes – Special Effects hair colour is due to be back in stock FINALLY very soon – they moved factories earlier this year and so our stock has got VERY low. We have enabled pre-orders on the webstore in anticipation, so make your orders now for delivery in a few weeks!

Finally, check out some of the pics below the cut of a selection of clients from the last little while, and we look forward to seeing you all in 2014 and beyond!

xox the crew at Wildilocks

Hey everyone, Cass here. It’s been a while since we had a substantial update in the world of Wildilocks on the blog – and now is that time. It’s with both a relieved and heavy heart as well as a forward facing stride that I bring the latest news from this little alternative corner of the world.

Firstly – it’s hard to believe that Wildilocks began over 10 years ago in a little market stall in Subiaco. There has been a huge amount of change in my life and the lives of others touched by the weirdness that is my unique and somewhat twisted vision of diversity and inclusiveness: but one thing has become very clear in this time. Wildilocks is essentially my baby, and the way I want the world to be for my baby is often not at all aligned with the way the world currently is. With a background in festivals, the alternative scene, busking and travel, and in the last 7 or so years, a very strong affinity and involvement with the Burning Man festival and its’ Regional events, much of what I have envisioned for Wildilocks has been at complete odds with what is required for a business to function in this commerce-mediated world: at least, not for it to still be personal, yet reach a wider audience. This has been a monumental struggle for me: I have wished so often for a path to open up with a clear way to do things differently but still co-exist and also grow within the default world’s existing structure, but if such a path has been possible, I’ve not met the right collaborators as yet, and in my experiments to grow and spread the Wildilocks message I have almost inevitably been drawn back to the harsh realities of a world where being an employer is seen in a very particular light and requires many procedures I’ve struggled with psychologically: especially without cloning technology!! I’ve attempted to grow Wildilocks within the confines of society and business practice as it currently requires and with the limitation of having only one physical body yet a wider geographical reach: and this has changed me as a person. I’m not at all sure I like the changes; in fact, I think I can say with some confidence that I really don’t. This has never been what it’s been about for me, and in trying to explain my vision to people and ask them to share in creating it, nurturing it, taking ownership of it and maintaining it, I have not really managed a true, lasting connection, and something has become lost which I’ve been chasing for some time now. And so much has changed in the past 10 years since this venture began.

The way people are socialising has changed. Where once you really needed to see people in person to catch up and feel you were participating, now you can get a similar feeling any time, any place, staring at your mobile phone screen. People are less motivated to act physically as they are vicariously experiencing their friends’ actions and as a result feel simultaneously satiated and envious. Not sure how healthy this is for us, but it’s what is happening. While the line between content creators and consumers has blurred, so has the means for surviving in the physical world via physical effort reduced as real physical participation has reduced and virtual representation has increased.

The alternative scene has changed. One could say there’s been something of a lull over the past few years, especially in Perth: what was a vibrant gothic scene, some would say the best city in Australia to be going out goth clubbing for most of the 2000’s, has been gutted by politics and a city with a fantastic weekly club now has monthly events at best, which many do not attend: total attendance over any period of time, even if monthly events are relatively well attended, is significantly lower. A phoenix has yet to arise from the ashes. While that may still come (and given the historic ebbs and flows of the goth scene, is actually quite likely) that time does not seem to be on the horizon any time soon.

The way people are purchasing has changed. Retail in general has shifted online significantly, and less events also means less demand overall. While Wildilocks was an early leader in online sales, having multiple physical locations has meant this area has been neglected terribly, and our online inventory and marketing has not kept up with the times.

All this equals an inevitable need for change. And the truth is, the alternative scene is much healthier in Melbourne right now than it is in Perth – not that there hasn’t always been a drift from Perth to Melbourne, but the difference has become more pronounced in recent years. So – it is time for a restructure.

This means: Wildilocks Perth will be going FIFO. Base108 will be ceasing physical trading on 27th April 2013. But THIS DOES NOT MEAN WILDILOCKS IS CLOSING! Far from it!! (and our Melbourne salon is going strong as ever with two lovely new staff and some of the craziest Saturdays we’ve seen in years!). However, it does mean there is going to be more competition for appointments in Perth, as Wildilocks from this date will be hosted @ Identified Hair in Kensington (just a hop, skip and a jump from the CBD, south of the river). Jude @ Identified Hair is one of very few career hairdressers I have met who I feel understands and supports the Wildilocks ethos, and while Jude’s thing is a little different to mine, she is very keen to provide Wildilocks with a base to continue servicing our loyal clients with the best dreadlocks and extensions in Perth (and indeed, the world). Not only that but you will be guaranteed the absolute best service as I will be seeing all clients personally. This restructure means that appointments for dreadlocks and extensions installs and maintenance will agenerally need to be booked more in advance (eventually possibly up to 8 weeks but initially up to 4 weeks) and most will require an advance payment of a deposit as appointment slots will be be more precious and no-shows cannot be accommodated (if you are a regular with no no-shows o cancellations, this may be waived). Rates will not be increasing, and will continue at $95 per hour with our guaranteed price freeze continuing into 2014 at least. I may also consider some mobile appointments depending on location. So do not fear, your Wildilocks fix is still going to be very much available! We will also be maintaining the Perth phone number to keep booking and enquiries easy as pie (mmm, pie), but email bookings and consults will also be highly encouraged. As of what will be happening with the Base108 premises? Was wondering if you’d ask. There will actually be a salon taking over the premises – but it is going to be a barber salon and they will not be providing Wildilocks services, though I have been told they are skilled in hair tattoos, as well as providing more mainstream urban streetwear and a possible recording studio – for those of you who remember the premises when Narcissist were there, it looks to be a return more to the kind of thing they were doing. So the spirit of 108 Barrack St is evolving, too – just in a different direction now.

As is usual when there is any change, and also because we’re a little overdue for one anyway, from this Saturday in both Perth AND Melbourne, we will be having: OUR BIGGEST SALE IN HISTORY! This is because we need to ship as little as possible over to Melbourne as we consolidate our stock, plus we need to make room to fit everything in once there, so I am pleased to announce, for ONE WEEK ONLY from April 23rd to 27th, we will be having a …

MEGA-ENORMOUS-WEEK-LONG-HUGE-STOCK-RELOCATION-SALE:

BUY ONE, GET TWO FREE for A WHOLE WEEK.

Yes you read that correctly, BUY ONE GET *TWO* FREE (this is for all clothing, boots and accessories in stock, free items must be equal or lesser value than purchased one) for a WHOLE WEEK. This is an absolutely, guaranteed, 100% WILL NOT BE REPEATED SALE! For Perth it will be your last chance to try items on, though in the coming months many many items not currently on the Webstore will be added though, so all is not lost.

We have a couple of other BIG pieces of news. As part of the restructure, Wildilocks will now be allocating resources to wholesaling & distributing Special Effects and Directions hair colours within Australia & New Zealand! If you are a hair professional or an alternative store and wish to have immediate access to our new trade prices, please contact us on wholesale@wildilocks.com – we will be creating a whole new website section for this new aspect of the business – we will also be adding quantity discounts to our retail webstore too. Please note that Special Effects currently have several colours out of stock which won’t be restocked for several months so our Wholesale Section won’t be launched til after all colours are full available once more (even though this happens a couple of times a year almost like clockwork, we are hoping to head that off by increasing our stock levels once wholesaling). Not only that, but for those of you who are concerned with availability of the brands we stock once we have moved – don’t be! We will be shipping at least 3 days a week from now on, plus Identified Hair is not only providing a home for Wildilocks in Perth, they are also happily providing a home for Special Effects too, so you can find these now in salon @ Identified Hair – Jude is also happy to provide Special Effects colour services in salon too at any time, not just when Wildilocks is being hosted.

Now, looking ahead and what’s coming up in the not distant future. Wildilocks has been asked to be involved with World Goth Day celebrations @ DV8 in Melbourne – we’ll be outfitting some gorgeous gothic models and raising a toast to everything dark and delicious in Australia’s Goth Capital City on May 18th. More details to come soon on this.

Please note we WILL be closed on the 25th of April for Anzac Day in Melbourne but will be open in Perth for the sale so those of you who have the day off but might not be able to come down otherwise, can have a chance 🙂

We will also be looking to revive our “Treats” blog and Youtube channel which has been languishing for far too long due to lack of time and resources: watch for some awesome new additions over the coming months.

Lastly, I would like to thank each and every one of you who has been involved with the evolution of Wildilocks in Perth in some way in the past 10 years who have appreciated and understood the vision of Wildilocks to not just beautify the alternative world, but take a stand for those who have no choice in being perceived as “different”: by consciously choosing to appear strange and unusual, you are making a political statement to the mainstream, and helping encourage acceptance and diversity. I am still walking that path proudly after all these years, and hope to keep doing so with you all for many years to come. I am really looking forward to reconnecting and maintaining that connection in a more personal way with many more people in both Perth and Melbourne over the coming years thanks to this change.

Pop in if you can this coming week to grab a bargain and say goodbye to Base108, to witness this particular Wildilocks chapter in closing, and welcoming in the new.

xo

Cass