It’s easy to see why KATZI designers Catriona Byrne and Simon Beckingham are oft compared to the beautiful but
tragically damned boho couple, Talitha and Paul Getty.
Sydney-based Byrne, like Talitha Getty, is a statuesque, free-spirited blonde who lives a nomadic lifestyle with her
ruggedly handsome music promoter and Restaurateur (The Corner House) partner Simon Beckingham.
Hailing from the UK and Ireland the bohemian couple began designing jewellery 9 years ago as a way of
“expressing the cultural diversity, vibrancy and colour we experienced whilst traveling” says Byrne.
After living a fast-paced life in London the couple set-off to explore ancient temples in Cambodia, roaming the deserts of India, and trekking the wild jungles of South America, Byrne and Beckingham returned to Sydney.
“We were back in Sydney” says Byrne “and were so inspired by everything we’d experienced, that we decided to study jewellery design.”
“We were traveling through Rajasthan and the Himalayan region of Northern India” recalls Beckingham “and spent 5 days watching a local silversmith cast jewellery for a Baraat. The quality of his work was inspirational. Here was a master craftsman who had been taught the art of silversmithing by his father who he told us, had been taught by his father and so on.”
“Forging jewellery with your own hands is such a powerful experience,” says Beckingham “The process is so authentic and it was an integral part of what Cat and I wanted our brand to represent.”
The label also has a host of celebrity devotees including style icon Nicole Richie and US So You Think You Can Dance host (and fellow Brit) Cat Deely.
Passionate environmentalists, Byrne and Beckingham are keenly aware the impact fashion and more importantly, mass consumption, has on the environment.
“We are constantly working to ensure all goods are manufactured according to strict international guidelines,” says Byrne. “We work closely with all of our international partners to ensure the principles of fair trade are strictly
observed”
We also favour bespoke products and use natural and high quality material where possible. For example many of our pieces are made from ‘fine silver – a precious metal that has a higher content of silver than sterling and more
recently have begun to introduce rose gold and gem stones into our collections.
We work hard to source the finest leathers and where possible use vegetable dye for our leather garments and bags.
9 years later and KATZI continue to soar from strength-to-strength. The brand has recently expanded on their core offering (of jewellery), incorporating a leather bag range and more recently leather apparel that includes edgy jackets, pants and leather tees into the seasonal collections.
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