2008 Art Couture Headwear

I have designed a collection of original and handmade art couture head wear. Each one of a kind head piece is crafted by me. I use Australian wool and the process of felting, to develop colourful felted pieces that are then moulded into bases for my head pieces.

The flowers and embellishments are made from handmade felted pieces and hand built, moulded, manipulated, sculptured and sewn together into 3d floral and abstract objects. These felted objects are then sewn to the base. I then decorate the head piece with feathers and embellishments.

Combs and pin loops are attached on the underside of the base, to attach securely to the head. It takes me approx 20 hours to make each head piece. No machines, no assembly line, no two are the same.

Artist Statement

As an artist, these one-off headwear pieces connect me to my environment and the natural world. I have created them to be unique, sculptures designed to support your sense of individual expression and couture style. I have been inspired by two distinct aesthetics - Victorian era millinery and Japanese Ikebana.

Victorian era bonnets and hats embraced an ostentatious aesthetic and risk-taking approach to fashion. I admire the bold brash designs, the flamboyant flowers, feathers and embellishments. This was a period of change (towards the exotic) in fashion with the introduction of decorative birds and feathers. Whole native birds and feathers adorned bonnets and hats, ushering in the start of the feather and plume trade while controversy surrounded the idea of animal cruelty. The past offers limitless inspiration. In hindsight the boldness, the risks and the over-the-top designs of this period are obvious to the contemporary artist.

The architectural style of Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) captures my imagination and delights my sense of design etiquette. There is a sense of mission, spirituality, style, balance, flow, minimalism, intimacy and an intricate sense of grace and sculpture. It is a disciplined art form where nature and humanity are brought together. Ikebana requires that all elements are organic, drawing emphasis towards natural shape, graceful line, form and colour combinations all creating an implicit meaning. These sculptures are symbolic of the sun, heaven, earth, man and moon. The style gives one a sense of closeness to nature – relaxation for the mind, body and soul – highlighting the parts of nature we often overlook. Proponents of Ikebana express a desire for people to become more patient and tolerant of differences not only in nature, but in general.

I have embraced these influences in creating contemporary, sculptured ‘art couture’ head-pieces. These pieces embrace my idea of living a more connected and peaceful existence while paying homage to a little risqué, fun, flash and flavour.