Flying the flag for homegrown fashion and lifestyle brands in Barangaroo is the Collector Store, another Surry Hills-born boutique that’s branched out to the big city. It supports local makers, such as home cleaning range Bondi Wash, which uses Aussie bush oils and lemony armonas, plus Surry Hills candlemakers Gascoigne & King, which sells the scent of Paddington (rose, marigold, fern, tulips and lily) in a handmade soy wax candle for $55.
Other recognisable locals include sportswear brand P.E. Nation, owned by Bondi-based designer Pip Edwards, and the extravagant and theatrical Romance Was Born, crafted by designer duo Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales. In a cabinet by the counter, you’ll find the distinctive tasseled earrings by Sydney jeweller Elke and daintier 18-karate gold hoops from the slightly further away Byron Bay jewellery designer F+H, ranging from $100-$200.
The shop is in a prime location for weekend browsers and wandering tourists who are drawn in by the famous international brands, like the geometric Missoni beach towels selling for $36 or patterned silk shirts by Equipment at the $440 benchmark. And it’s the kind of store where you want to spend time touching everything, from the marble chopping boards to the exquisitely designed salt and pepper mills by Normann Copenhagen.
What sets it apart from the competition on this busy stretch of Barangaroo is that it’s one of the most gender-neutral shops around, stocking clothing and skincare for masculine and feminine tastes – take your pick from pale pink clay soap bars by Herbivore Botanicals ($20) to Japanese-made charcoal toothbrushes ($15), for example – which makes it an appealing first place to visit when you need a little inspiration.