The View From the Shoe: Hatastic

Hatastic make the most incredible hats and fascinators from everyday objects. You can find them at:




http://www.hatastic.folksy.com/


http://twitter.com/hatastic


You can WIN the Eclipse Fascinator made exclusively for Eclipse Magazine! http://www.eclipsemagazine.co.uk/magazine/grabaglorioushatforgoodwood.html

So without further ado:

Thank you so much for your time. So, Louboutin or Converse?

Why it’s a pleasure to be asked! I would say converse. My head would love to say Louboutin, but in actual fact, I feel much more comfy in my sneakers – its all the walking backwards and forwards to choose a sequin, fabric or bead…

What do you do?

I make hats / fascinators and other hair accessories.

Why is there no one in the world who does it quite like you?

I use whatever I find in secondhand shops, junk shops, remnant bins or in my attic! Every piece is unique because if I run out of a particular type of bead or sequin, I can’t get it anymore – I have to be inventive with what I have to hand.

What do you really, really love about it?

The fact that when I am making stock or even when I have a bespoke commission, I still have full reign to do what I think looks really goddamned gorgeous! It’s really hard to let go of my pieces sometimes…

A bit more time in the day, or a bit more money in the bank?

A bit of both would be fab!

Imagine you “make it”. You wake up, and imagine the day ahead. Tell us about breakfast.

Oooo…it would have to be homemade coffee from the cafetiere and Crunchy Nut Cornflakes – love em!

What’s your Jimmy Choo? And what’s just cobblers?

My Jimmy Choo HAS to be a find of gorgeous, luscious silk! Cobblers? Discovering it’s polyester.
Tell us about the last time a fan made you feel 100 feet tall.
All my gorgeous clients are so thankful when I have made their bespoke piece, or they have received their ‘made to wear’ in my shop. I always get an email from them to say they have received the piece (which is always a relief thanks to the relenting postal strikes we are having). But they always say such kind things in their emails too. One girl recently said, ‘I received my fascinator today….am delighted with it, I really am. You have done a wonderful job. I will tell everyone where I got it and hope you get some more work from it! I will be bringing my business back to you again (hopefully I will get a few wedding invites!)’
Isn’t that sweet?

Independent and poor, or under contract and rich?

Currently Hatastic! Is independent and currently my husband and I are poor in finances, but that was the reason for the kick start to the business. I have a day job, but my husbands’ freelance work fell into nothingness for approx 5 months, and it wasn’t fun having to use up all my savings on his two hefty tax bills. This climate that the UK has been forced into, has really affected us all. It seemed a ‘no brainer’ to start my own business incase something happened to my 9 to 5! So we are slowly but surely getting back on track, but it’s taking its time…however, I am not sure why it took me so long to start Hatastic! All my friends and family have passed on my details to their friends, and I have had such excellent feedback – it’s so exciting to think of the future as being Hatastic! rather than the latter.

Do you remember that bit on Play Away where Brian Cant stood behind people and did the actions whilst they spoke? If you could choose anyone to stand behind you and do the actions to your sales pitch, who would it be and why?

Oh I’d defo have Will Ferrell – he’d make me sound entertaining and zany when I thought I was…but actually wasn’t.



Frocks or socks?

FROCKS!!!! I am desperately choosing my nexy one now for a VIP wedding reception in Home House…what is a girl to do?!