Walking through Melbourne during lockdown, Robert Buckingham and Fiona Scanlan had a flashback to the dark days before lively laneways, vibrant wine bars and edgy eateries were a signature of one of the world’s “most liveable” cities.
“It was confronting to see the CBD completely empty,” says Scanlan, co-founder of one of Australia’s landmark fashion brands, Scanlan & Theodore. “The city had ground to a halt, the streets were dormant, there were so many vacant shopfronts and empty restaurants. It was desolate.”