Over the past seven months the department store has morphed into the monarch who famously set off in February with 459 tonnes of cargo for a nine-day tour of Indonesia.

The racks of David Jones started gaining similar weight after David Collins replaced long-serving fashion boss Donna Player in May last year. The department store has since then been on a shopping spree, poaching and picking up 30 new labels to add to its collections.

"Thirty new brands might seem like a lot, but really what it speaks to is the current opportunity we see to take our offering to the next level," Collins, the managing director of clothing and general merchandise, said.

"Each of these brands is bring something unique for our customers, and contributes to the appeal of our overall offering."

Among the labels joining the DJs stable are premium Australian brands Aje, Self Portrait and By Johnny. All three were lured across Market Street from Myer.

Other big brands include international names like Altuzarra, Gabriela Hearst, and threads by Kim Kardashian West's favourite label, Balenciaga.

Collins, who introduced the new offerings to the fashion press at an intimate brunch this week, said the new range is a reflection of the evolution of the David Jones customer, who is now never far from their smartphone.

"As a retailer you can't underestimate how savvy the Australian customer is," he said in between bites of smashed avocado with goat feta and air kisses with socialite Anna Heinrich.

"For us, this creates an opportunity to service a savvy customer who knows international and local brands just as well as our specialist buyers.

"These customers will search out the Common Project sneakers they saw on Instagram, or a Self Portrait dress that a celebrity wore.

"It's our job to ensure that we stock those brands that are high on the demand list, as well as emerging designers that customers might not have heard of, but that we know they will like because we know what they are looking for."