This one’s for the dudes. OK so there’s little bit for the girls, but it’s mostly for the dudes.
Yes that’s right, Toowoomba has finally got itself a sweet independent streetwear shop for guys. Finally!
The gap in this market was noticed by Jayklyn Wright and her partner Tim, and they spent 12 months working on the concept for their store White Rhino before launching earlier this month.
“We were fed up with the options for guys in town because there were only higher end suit and tie clothing or JJs and Target,” Jayklyn says. “There was not streetwear or cool branded stuff so we decided to give it a go.”
Jayklyn and one of the best bits of White Rhino – the pinball machine
Jayklyn and Tim
We want to have an atmosphere where people can come in and visit, even if it’s not to buy clothes. There’s people here to talk to you about music or books or film or whatever. There’s culture to it…
Walk into White Rhino, which is on Ruthven Street across from the Sports Club and you’ll undoubtedly notice it’s not like your average clothing store.
“If I could describe the experience I want people to have it would be music, pop culture and style,” Jayklyn says. “Tim and myself are very big nerds, we’re big into pop culture, Batman is our thing. There’s music and a lot of posters in here and the Batman pinball machine.
“We want to have an atmosphere where people can come in and visit, even if it’s not to buy clothes. There’s people here to talk to you about music or books or film or whatever. There’s culture to it, not just someone standing behind a counter just because they’re getting paid to be there.”
You can see this personal touch in how the store has been decked out. There’s a black and white photo behind the counter that’s been in Jayklyn’s family for as long as she can remember, posters, quirky signs and stickers and a raw industrial look that brings the visual appeal up a notch.
The black and white pic from Jayklyn’s home
You also can’t miss the Batman pinball machine that takes pride of place in the store. It’s there for a special reason – not just because the White Rhino team loves Batman (which, I’m not sure if you’re picking this up, but they totally do).
“One of the fundamentals of us running a business was to be community minded and give back to the community in which we live,” Jayklyn says. “So we thought a good way to do that would be people pay $1 to play the pinball machine and the money that gets raised is donated to a charity our customers choose every quarter.
“We also run a competition every month and whoever has the highest score gets a $15 voucher to use in the shop.”
So we’ve talked about the pinball machine, but what about the clothes? They’re all Australian labels, mostly out of Melbourne.
You’ll find brands like Nana Judy, Ziggy Denim, Autonomy, Kiss Chacey, Nena and Pasadena. There’s a small selection of women’s wear from the brands that offer it, but otherwise, it’s all about the guys.
It’s quality streetwear with a bit of edge that can be dressed up or down, however you like it. And the brands are all exclusive to White Rhino in Toowoomba.
Jayklyn says you’ll see a lot of black, white and grey – a neutral palette which makes it easy to mix and match.
“In our December delivery you’ll see more colour, but we’ll always have good and creative versions of basics.”
The price ranges from $45 up to $190 and Jayklyn says unless they introduce a luxe leather jacket or similar premium item, about $200 is the max you can expect to spend. If you love instant gratification White Rhino offers After Pay – so you can take the clothes home now and pay later.
Brands are all exclusive to White Rhino in Toowoomba.
If you can’t get into the store you can always shop online at whiterhinoapparel.com.au
White Rhino is open for shopping, chatting, and pinball machine playing from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm, except Thursday when they close at 6pm and Saturday when they close at 1.
