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<\/a>Petra Fagerstr\u00f6m AW26 with hats by Storm FosterPetra Fagerstr\u00f6m\/Storm Foster<\/p>\nHow would you describe what you do?<\/p>\n
Storm Foster: I\u2019d say my work is a mix between sculpture and fabric manipulation. Since I studied Fine Art, I tend to treat a hat like a 3D form that I\u2019m building.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Do you make hats full-time?<\/p>\n
Storm Foster: Not just yet, although I\u2019m working toward making millinery a much bigger part of what I do. At the moment, it\u2019s a blend of styling assisting, set design, prop buying, and theatre work. All those different worlds definitely bleed into the way I approach a hat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What was the first hat you ever made?<\/p>\n
Storm Foster: It was a black felt piece for a course I did at Central Saint Martins. It was a start, but I actually found I learned a lot more just by playing around and watching YouTube. You don\u2019t really need the formal stuff to get the basics down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Niall White is a 25-year-old milliner, making hats full-time based on freelance commissions. During London Fashion Week, he worked with designers Talia Byre and Patrick McDowell.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
How would you describe what you do?<\/p>\n
Niall White: I make anything that goes on the head! Millinery can be quite a broad job description, as one week you’re designing for fashion collections and the next for someone’s wedding. I love the variety my job brings, but when I\u2019m not designing for clients, my own work draws upon a lot of military caps and helmets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What was the first hat you ever made, and why did you make it?<\/p>\n
Niall White: It was a huge lilac mohawk made of cardboard, wire, plaster of Paris, handmade feathers and a few cans of spray paint. I didn\u2019t have a clue what I was doing, but I was inspired by the showgirl aesthetic and it ended up looking something like a Roman soldier helmet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your favourite hat you\u2019ve ever made and why?<\/p>\n
Niall White: It’s a helmet made of flat-back silver pearls and white ostrich feathers. It has a short peak at the front and the shape curves like a scorpion\u2019s tail. The inspiration came from Napoleonic officer helmets, which were often heavily adorned in gilded metal and bright horsehair plumes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Virna Pasquinelli is an Italian milliner currently based in Surrey. She\u2019s worked with Tolu Coker and Harris Reed, and is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust Award.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How would you describe what you do?<\/p>\n Virna Pasquinelli: My work is rooted in a sculptural approach, exploring form and texture across textiles, metal, glass and mixed media. I use traditional millinery as a foundation, pushing it towards more contemporary silhouettes with a strong visual identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n Do you make hats full-time?\u00a0<\/p>\n Virna Pasquinelli: I make hats full-time, but I\u2019m never just making hats. Millinery is my entry point into a wider exploration of craft, which extends into props, set design and installations. It\u2019s all part of the same language, shaping ideas through making.<\/p>\n What was the first hat you ever made?<\/p>\n Virna Pasquinelli: My first hat was a green felt dome crown with a hand-shaped brim, formed into soft twists and swirls, almost elfin. I moved to London in 2008, planning to stay for a year, but two and a half years later, I discovered millinery through an evening course. I fell in love immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n 23-year-old textile designer Ujjal Patel was raised in Malawi, but is currently studying at Central Saint Martins. She caught our attention during London Fashion Week, when her hat-wigs appeared in Macy Grimshaw\u2019s MA collection.\u00a0<\/p>\nTolu Coker AW26 with hats by Virna PasquinelliPhotography Morgane Maurice<\/p>\n