TALKING WITH CELEBRITY HATTER ALBERTUS SWANEPOEL

Sometimes it pays to listen to the media when it comes to fashion. But like all other mediums you have to listen with a grain of salt (and some restraint).

According to the following Blog the “Big Hat Comeback” is due to Albertus Swanepoel. Well, maybe, but I doubt it. If I were to say who was responsible for the Great Hat Resurgence I would say young people (mostly musicians and celebrities). If you watched American Idol this season there was cause for hat celebration (a few semi-finalists wore hats a lot). And that is a big deal when you consider that 100 million people cast their vote for the winner.

The following interview and commentary is about Swanepoel, who is now quite a famous name in headwear for the Seventh Avenue set. Swanepoel’s hats have graced the runway of big name designers, such as Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler.

Here is the Blog:

“Albertus Swanepoel may be the sole reason hats are making a comeback. The 2008 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund runner up has put millinery back on the fashion map. And seeing his collaborations with Marc Jacobs, Thakoon, Peter Som, Carolina Herrera, and Jason Wu, it appears that just about everyone is on board for the ride.

But Swanepoel’s career didn’t begin with hats. The Coty Award winning South African designer started out creating clothes. With a successful career under his belt, Swanepoel packed up and moved to New York City in 1989.

Working to make ends meet, Swanepoel wound up as an assistant to glove maker Shaneen Huxham. Though the work was interesting, the spring and summer seasons were slow times, giving Swanepoel the chance to get creative.

He enrolled in the millinery program at FIT, and lucked out when he found a mentor in Janine Galimard, a milliner who worked with Cristobal Balenciaga.

In 2005 Swanepoel teamed up with Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the designers behind Proenza Schouler. He designed the turbans in Proenza Schouler’s surf-inspired spring 2005 show, which in-turn launched Swanepoel’s career. Overnight Swanepoel’s career took off.

How did you get started designing hats?
I started in 1992, but I had to do other jobs up until 5 years ago, when things changed around for me and I could concentrate on millinery.

If you weren't designing hats, what would you be doing?
I would be a game ranger in Africa, catching poachers.

What about designing hats makes it better than designing clothing?
Hats are small, sculptural objects, and so personally, I like the smaller scale and the concentration of ideas on a smaller format. I think the medium is also more challenging, since there is a restriction on which shapes a man or woman will wear on their head.

To date, what one moment has been the highlight of your career?
My biggest moment was definitely last November, when I was a runner-up in the Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund Competition! It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the industry and a panel of esteemed judges (Anna Wintour, Reed Krakoff, Julie Gilhart, Diane von Furstenberg, etc.)

Being that you are a hat designer, how often do you wear a hat?
I don’t really wear hats, except in the cold of winter. I don’t feel I have to be Exhibit A of my career!

Swanepoel refers to hats as “the orphan accessory.” We often think of shoes, scarves, or jewelry before hats. However, if you haven’t noticed, hats are one hot trend for spring.