Kate and Abel

Items come from all corners of the globe, with one key component: fun and unique with an independent, artisan tilt.

A native Perthian, Kate dashed off to the U.K. in the early noughties, where she called London home for 13 years. Whilst working at marketing agencies, she began a hat business as a side hustle working out of the spare bedroom of her third floor flat in an old Vicarage in East London. That building, St Saviours, inspired the name of her hat brand, and it was after setting up a stall to sell her handiwork at Brick Lane Market in 2010, she was spotted by an accessories buyer for Topshop. Soon after, big deal retailers, Harvey Nichols and Anthropologie, were placing orders and within a year Kate's hats were taking centre stage in some major window displays on the U.K. high street.

By 2013 it was time to return to Perth. Setting up home in Fremantle, the first guise of Kate and Abel was in the old Myer store (now FOMO), a concept shopping emporium selling affordable design-driven products. It's an ethos that Kate continues today. Although in a new location in central Freo, Kate and Abel remains a shoppers haven for fashionable homewares, design objects, gifts and accessories. There are Baggu bags, David Shrigley tea towels, Slowdown Studio throws, The School of Life books, greeting cards ideal for any occasion, rows of magazines, and beauty products. Plus, Kate's own jewellery brand, Pierce, I love you - acrylic dangle and stud earrings in bright colours that are both fun and flirty.

And St Saviours hats, naturally. Genuine Panama headpieces handwoven in Ecuador from toquilla palm and wool-felt from Italy and the U.K. are custom blocked, especially for Kate in a small, family-run factory in England. Styles are unisex and come in sizes made to measure your head, then finished by hand in the Fremantle store with a custom trim – choose from a range of ribbons, feathers, flowers, leather and cords to bring out your own creative flair.

Kate is passionate about supporting small businesses and slow fashion making Kate and Abel a treasure trove for the shopper. It's ideal for finding unique, one-off items that make the perfect gift, be it for a friend or yourself, that you won't find elsewhere. Pop in and see for yourself.

Photo credit: Duncan Wright