The gold metallic mesh compact is the piece Oroton treats as its beginning as a design house. Boyd Lane's company had started in Sydney in 1938 as an importer of European textiles, and had traded in a wide range of goods, including German metal compacts. In 1951 it released a powder compact covered in woven gold metal mesh under the Oroton name. Oroton's history describes it as an instant symbol of luxury, elegance and sophistication.
The compact took a material then thought of as utilitarian and made it decorative, an idea the company soon applied to purses and evening bags. Sydney's Powerhouse museum notes that Oroton began selling mesh compacts in the early 1950s, before branching into handbags and other accessories.