A visit to Nolita’s Mott or Mulberry Street could have you mistaken for thinking you’re strolling through Hardware Lane in Melbourne. Dubbed “Little Australia”, the region has seen an influx of Australians – and designer’s from Down Under – flock to the United States courtesy of the E-3 visa, many of whom have set up shop in the area as a form of home away from home. Riding high on the coattails of Manhattan’s obsession with Aussie flat whites, laidback attitude and catchy lilt, Strawberry Hills-based design team Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy opened a brick-and-mortar retail shop to provide U.S. shoppers with access to its suite of signature rings, necklaces and houseware products, housed within a retail concept which makes an overt nod to the label’s namesake era via cheeky fossil and pebble references throughout. As art students, Olsen and Ormandy cut their teeth by selling resin jewelry at a stall at Sydney’s infamous Paddington markets. Now, more than 30 years later, their stylish outpost hosting a suite of their handcrafted jewelry and home décor has become a neighborhood fixture. Be sure to get on the mailing list for advance intel on the brand’s biannual sample sale.
