This is the hat brand of choice for the hippest kids in town, created by the bearded Dean Pozniak, whose family has been in the millinery business for more than three generations, since 1935. No great brand is complete without a compelling story, and Simon & Mary’s tale is one of escape from harsh lives in Europe, immigrant dreams, love and Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Pozniak's grandparents provided the inspiration. His grandfather Simon, a Polish immigrant, got his start working at his father's cap business in Fordsburg, aged just 16. In later years his wife Leah came to be known as Mary after Simon read 'War and Peace' and was inspired by the figure of Marya Bolkonsky, a loving wife and mother to rename his beloved. ‘Mary’ also worked at the factory that Simon started in Heriotdale, east of the city.

Today the most popular style is the Catherine, made using machinery from the 1960s and inspired by classic styling from a time when you were naked without a fine hat on your head.