Woman calls out Kookai over ‘disgraceful’ store act

A Melbourne woman has called out Australian clothing label Kookai, over a staff member’s “extremely disgraceful” attitude about her body.

A Melbourne makeup artist has expressed her disappointment at Australian clothing label Kookai, over a staff member’s “extremely disgraceful” attitude about her body.

Adelle Petropoulos visited one of the brand’s Victorian stores on Saturday “on a whim” and decided to try on a few pieces. But, she said, in a TikTok detailing her experience, she was left shocked by the way she was treated while there.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m skinny, [but] I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m on the larger side. I’m sort of mid-tier,” Ms Petropoulos, who has since been contacted by Kookai, said in her video.

“Now when I tell you nothing in this store fit me, it’s not a word of a lie.”

Typically a size 8 in tops and a size 12 in bottoms, when Ms Petropoulos “asked [the staff member] for the larger size in the dress that I was wanting, she looked me up and down and literally said, ‘Doll, we don’t stock any larger sizes’.

“Now in hindsight, I should have roasted her right then and there, but I wasn’t about to tear into the retail assistant because of her poor attitude, so I asked for her manager,” she said.

“[The manager] proceeded to go, ‘Well, I can recommend a couple of stores that stock larger sizes for larger girls’. Is she for real?”

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Melbourne makeup artist Adelle Petropoulos. Picture: TikTok

She was left shocked by a staff member’s “extremely disgraceful” attitude about her body. Picture: TikTok

Ms Petropoulos said it’s clear something “needs to be done” about how the brand treats women’s bodies, adding that her experience highlighted “a massive problem” in the Australian fashion industry.

While she understands the “sizing issue is a company thing” and that individual staff “can’t do anything about that”, managers “can control staff members’ attitude to larger women who don’t fit into your size category”.

“I said [to the manager], ‘Clothes are meant to fit us, we’re not meant to fit clothes, and once you have staff that understand that concept and respect everyone around them, absolutely not is it OK for you be hiring people like this’,” Ms Petropoulos recalled.

“I found this attitude extremely disgraceful. I’ll never shop there again.”

In a follow-up video, she revealed she’d received an Instagram DM from a Kookai employee about her experience in store.

“We are really disappointed this has been your experience in our store. Our customers experience in store is incredibly important to us and it’s very disheartening to hear about your visit and interaction with our staff, so we would like to apologise to you and let you know we will look into this further,” the message read.

The store in question said it would “investigate” and take “appropriate action”.

Kookai got in contact with Ms Petropoulos after she shared her experience. Picture: TikTok

The store in question said it will ‘investigate’ and take ‘appropriate action’. Picture: TikTok

Ms Petropoulos said she ultimately decided against responding to the message, because she doesn’t want to “tear other women down” or for any staff to lose their jobs.

“Me being a little bit angry by the situation, seeing everyone’s comments with people experiencing the same thing, I was furiously typing away. I did delete the message and I didn’t send it,” she said.

“No matter how I’m treated, because I know I’m really strong and I am not insecure about how I look that I will stand my ground. But I will never, ever, ever think of abusing another person’s right to work, especially another women’s right to work.”

She added that she hopes her experience will prompt stores to think about each customers’ shopping experience “from the very moment they enter the door to the very moment they leave”.

News.com.au has contacted Kookai for comment.

Viewers’ response to Ms Petropoulos’ video suggested hers was not a one-off experience, with dozens of women sharing they’d also been made to feel uncomfortable while in the store.

“I’m a [size] 6-8 so fit their clothes, they’ve still made comments about my weight and once said, ‘Oh wow it fits! That’s surprising’. So I don’t shop there,” one wrote.

Another size 8 woman said she’s “never felt comfortable shopping there”.

“Absolute joke that they classify a 12 as a large size,” a third person commented.

Stylist and LGBTQI activist Deni Todorovic has previously called out the ‘fatphobic’ Australian fashion industry. Picture: Toby Zerna

Stylist and non-binary influencer Deni Todorovic in August called out Kookai, among other Australian brands, for its lack of inclusivity, saying it had left them “positively bamboozled”.

Todorovic said the decision not to cater for larger bodies was a “conscious choice made by brands to not invite people into their brands but rather exclude”.

“It’s any wonder that anyone who is not a straight size finds the idea of shopping deflating and dehumanising,” they added.

“Aside from the fact that it’s a missed business opportunity, it speaks to a broader, deeper, more insidious issue of which fashion has always had.

“You’re only allowed in if you look like the unrealistic beauty standards we will continue to set for you. Fashion should support self-expression, not self-loathing.”