The identity of a global fashion house expected to move into a town’s former nightclub has finally been revealed.

Kabuki in Marine Gardens had once been a popular location for a night out in Margate, but since closing in 2020 the site has been vacant.

In 2022, it was revealed an international streetwear retailer had plans to move into the site and was described as “especially well-known among the younger public”.

But developers remained tight-lipped over the brand’s identity until the council approved the move.

Global streetwear clothing brand Stussy, which specialises in surf and skatewear, has been unveiled as the likely new tenant.

It would be the fashion house’s second UK store and the first outside London.

The building is Grade II-listed and was formally a group of three Victorian townhouses combined in the 1960s to form one larger building.

Planning applications have been submitted to Thanet District Council to make alterations to the building and for signage.

The developers say Stussy will be a “positive addition to Margate’s retail mix and mark the town as a destination for culture”.

They also say the current nightclub refurbishment of the front of the building is “crude”.

“It is a low-quality construction and is currently in poor condition,” the planning application states.

“This later added facade has a flat and stark appearance and is not in keeping with the character of the neighbouring buildings.

“It is proposed to remove this over-cladding to uncover these arched windows and existing facade.

“The condition and appearance of these existing elements is unknown and will only be known once the over-cladding has been removed.

“Where elements can be repaired they will be recreated in appropriate materials to traditional designs for a shop front of this era.”

Any development of the site is limited to the ground floor and the developers say there are no historic artefacts or features inside after they were removed by the succession of bars and restaurants that have occupied the building.

The application adds: “The store is located close to the centre of Margate and as such is close to the amenities of its city centre location including multiple local bus stops.

“Stussy has always referred to its physical retail spaces as chapters as they see themselves as being embedded within their local community bringing above a positive impact on Margate’s town centre.”

Stussy is an American fashion house founded in the 1980s by Shawn Stussy, who was a Californian manufacturer of surfboards known for emblazoning his name across his work.

He then used the logo on clothing and teamed up with Frank Sinatra Jr – no relation to the famous singer – to sell the products.

The company expanded into Europe by 1988 and now has shops across the globe, with one based in Wardour Street, Soho.