2001

Just a hop and a skip down Victoria Road, in 2001 we opened our second store in Westfield Parramatta and here the brand “Catwalk” was born. A bustling salon in a very busy centre!

2003-2004
The buzz excited us, and soon enough we got the expansion itch, in 2003 we opened our third salon in Castle Hill. As our love and passion for the industry grew, so did the demand for products and services. Our 4th location was opened in 2004 at Hornsby Westfield, followed by a 5th location which was our second store at Westfield Parramatta.

As we grew, so did our team. We decided on no more physical expansions, we were happy with keeping things small enough to ensure our virtues and ideals remained. Here we concentrated on building our line of products and providing extensive training to our staff. Then, with over 50+ staff with us, we felt stronger than ever. A strong team meant that our directors had little time on their hands to expand onto new pastures, we had promised no more physical stores.. so we took our dreams and realised them in the clouds... catwalk wasborn.

2005
In 2005 it was 2 years before the launch of smartphones, and the Australian online market was uncharted territory. Australia was only just getting a taste of what the future had to hold, we were one of the first Australian Online Hair & Beauty stores. The operations of the online store started in the garage of one of our directors - yes, we know this sounds cliche, but it’s exactly where it started!! Orders were picked by staff from our stores, taken to the garage, packed and picked up by the couriers!

There was no handbook, we had to learn and explore on the job. Trying to understand user experience and figuring out how to map and navigate a website was fun and exciting. We took in as much feedback as possible and evolved with the developing demand.

2006

As Australia’s trust in online shopping grew, so did our online store, leading to our product line expanding by the day. The two-man operation was no longer sustainable, in 2006 we moved to a new location to cater for the ever-growing nature of our online store.

Things were rusty and clunky, as was most tech back in the beginning of the internet boom. But hey, it worked, and figuring out all of the logistics was the fun part! The delivery network across Australia was anything but efficient, yet our customers were patient and stuck by us as the rest of the industries involved in operations caught up.

2008

Technology was fast advancing and in 2008 we decided it was time to give our first love a face lift. The new site was launched on an exciting new platform that allowed for better navigation and a more enjoyable user interface - here, Catwalk started to look a little more like the Catwalk you know today.

Along the way, our directors had their own personal battle too. Mary was battling breast cancer. The community and staff’s support was humbling and overwhelming. It was from here that Catwalk decided to support the pink ribbon cause. This is very close to our hearts and Mary continues to spread awareness to help early detections.

2016

As the years passed the online shopping scene grew, and the demand helped reshape the industry. The delivery network expanded, telecommunication networks, and we were able to reach some of the most remote areas in Australia very quickly. This was a game changer, our regional customers were able to get their hands on thousands of different products.

In 2016, we outgrew our office and moved into our HQ, back where it all began, Gladesville. Almost 10 years after our last revamp, we decided it was time to freshen up, here is where the new Catwalk that you know and love was born. This new platform opened up so many possibilities for us, we were able to offer you a better shopping experience whilst adapting to the always-expanding smartphone world.