Problem finder, problem maker, problem solver: Cat Conner has been working with clay for the last 20 years, obsessed by the unique challenges of this material. Originally from the American Southwest, she grew up in New Mexico and Texas, studying visual art at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She fell in love with Perth on a study-abroad trip and relocated immediately after graduating in 2009.

The Bolo Tie is a uniquely American tradition originating with the Native American and cowboy-rodeo culture of the Southwest. They consist of a piece of cord or braided leather with decorative metal tips and secured with an ornamental clasp or slide. While finely wrought silver, turquoise, and other semi-precious stones are the favourite materials of the region, a bolo tie can be made of nearly anything, including wood, glass beads, ceramic, cool rocks, old coins, or even gold nuggets. The sky is the limit for this non-gendered piece of American culture that can be worn and enjoyed and reinvented by anyone. 

Typically worn with collared shirts as a necktie alternative on formal occasions, it can also be worn loosely as a necklace.