Chrissie Catling

For Chrissie Catling, a great retail experience is about sincere, personalised service. Her S2 store in North Perth's Angove Street has it in spades, but its flair is also in its discerning, luxurious fashion and wares; distinctive, clean design; and worldly-wise sensibility.

A flagship for Catling's S2 label - characterised by minimal, structural pieces in natural fabrics and a moody palette - the store also stocks a handful of similarly cool Australian and international names including Lui Hon, Alistair Trung, Chronicles of Never, Phong Chi La, Sardine de Montard and Gem Kingdom. The crisp space, with its white walls and concrete floor, is a canvas for the evolving displays of clothing, footwear and accessories.

It also allows Catling to showcase works from local artists such as Jodee Knowles. 'I designed the space in such a way so it was possible to be forever changing. To really work it as a gallery space,' she says. 'We've got 400kg of fish tank gravel on the floor at the moment that we shove into different shapes, just to keep the energy changing.'

Where do you look for inspiration?
The two key places are nature and architecture. Another source of inspiration is the Japanese designers. They're creating fashion, but they're creating pieces that you can wear for a lifetime. And I love the juxtaposition of old and new.

Who is your favourite Perth artist?
At the moment it's Tim Darby. He's worked in copper, he's worked in limestone, he is an environmentalist and his way of putting things together is fantastic. He looks at things in slightly different way. He's just installed some new copper rails in the store for me.

What is your biggest indulgence?
I love beautiful rings, especially from Dutch label Gem Kingdom. And I love beautiful fabric and finish.
One other indulgence is space. The negative space around things is just as important as what we put in it. It's not always possible to have space, whether it is in your mind - to think or not think; or in your environment - in order to show something beautifully. I think that's an indulgence. And we have far more of it here than perhaps in other cities in the world that have millions more people.

If you had to choose a favourite fashion period from the past, what would it be and why?
I don't really have one, but if had to choose I probably would lean towards the 1920s, because of the liberation of women from corsets. It was a greater freedom of clothes on the body and I think women looked just as sexy and gorgeous. I think it’s that non-conformity of the 20s, and how Coco Chanel thought at the time, 'let's put women in jersey', and how well that worked.

What is your favourite shopping city and why?
Melbourne, because it's close at hand. It does all sorts of things. It offers a really forward approach in architecture and it brings that wonderful juxtaposition of old and new. Its fashion and public spaces are probably like how I styled S2 in a sense, with leaving soul in the building and not just ripping the guts out of it so it’s so perfect that it becomes a bit sterile. And Melbourne's got great food!

Where do you go to escape Perth?
We have about a week a year, where we all go to Albany. I went there as a child for holidays so I have a very fond memory of the place. I just find that Southern Ocean and all the granite on the headlands just so beautiful. And it is a milder climate with a tinge of green. There’s something really special there for me.

S2
26 Angove Street, North Perth. T: 08 9227 1136

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