Interview: Milliner Jan Wutkowski of aMuse Artisanal Finery
I'm so pleased to have a new installment of the Interviews series, this time with milliner Jan Wutkowski. Jan is not only a working milliner but also maintains a busy teaching schedule of millinery classes all over the country and internationally, and owns and operates her own boutique, aMuse: artisanal finery. Here's what she had to say about the art and the craft of millinery.
Q. How long have you been designing hats, and how did you get started?
I was very fortunate to live in Australia in 1995. For the first 6 months I lived in Brisbane, Queensland, and was actively looking for something to study and immerse myself in--some artistic skill to bring back to the US and try to make a living at. Living there seemed like such a fairy tale anyway, I mean, who gets to go live in Australia for a year and have nothing to do but have a great time and learn as much as you can? I looked into taking classes in the old craft of applying gold leaf to frames, statues, chairs, and other objets d'art, but it just didn't seem right for me.
I then moved to Melbourne, Victoria, for the remaining 6 months, and was lucky enough to live just a couple of blocks from an amazing working craft gallery. Lots of artists showing how they created their work--spinners, printmakers, blacksmiths, glass blowers, and milliners, all under one roof. Every week I'd go to the gallery and watch the milliners blocking straws and felts, covering buckram, and many other millinery skills. The next week I'd go back and see the finished product waiting for someone to purchase it. I was amazed! But I contacted the millinery school because I found out they could teach me to make handmade felt, not to learn to make hats. I'd never even heard of handmade felt until I moved Australia, but quickly fell in love with the whole process.
After I took the feltmaking class I enrolled in the millinery classes. I had been a collector of vintage hats for years and loved to wear them, but it had never occurred to me at all as to how they were made; I just knew I loved these little works of art, little sculptures you put on your head. I'm also one of those souls who have tried every art and craft around but I'd always lose interest after the first year or so. Millinery? It stuck and I've never looked back.
"Big Pink" by Jan Wutkowski
Q. You work in a range of methods--blocked felt and straw, sewn fabric soft structure, and buckram bases. Do you have a favorite?
That's a question I get asked about a lot and I have to say blocking felt is where I get the most pleasure. It is so sculptural, especially when free-form blocking. And it is very forgiving. If you block a hat and don't particularly love the style, you can always block it into something else. It is a medium that is perfect for beginners because of this property. But I must say that I also love working with fabric-covered buckram, again, because there are so many possibilities with it. Not only the shape of the buckram but how you drape your choice of fabric over that shape. Just so many options to get rich textures and loads of visual interest.
Q. Who are your influences in hat design?
Favorite vintage millinery designers are Schiaparelli, Bes-Ben, Lily Dache, but my favorite contemporary milliner is Eugenie van Oirschot, from The Netherlands. I've had the privilege of teaching with her twice at the International Millinery Forum in Australia. She is incredible. I love great lines and how they are juxtaposed; I like clean lines with little fuss to the overall look. So nature is a big influence as well as architecture. But my love of vintage jewelry from the art deco, art nouveau, and modernist schools is probably my biggest influence in design.
Shoe Hat by Elsa Schiaparelli
Q. You also travel the world teaching millinery classes on a wide range of topics. Tell us about your favorite class to teach!
I teach about 15 different skill sets that are either true millinery arts or are relative to hatmaking, such as French flowermaking. I love them all!
And my answer to your question doesn't really have much to do with WHAT I'm teaching as it does with WHO I'm teaching. I've been teaching millinery since around 1998 and now teach about 7-8 months of the year--about 10 classes a year, excluding the private classes I teach in my atelier. So I teach quite a few people a year! But I absolutely love the classes where the class dynamics are finely tuned. A class where everyone is receptive to a new skill, listens, experiments, works with the other class members, is giving and forgiving. Wow! Those classes have me buzzing!
I can never anticipate whether a class will develop this fine dynamic either, it just happens. And when it does it is magical for all of us. I will say this, however, that many of those classes have costumers in them. The costumers seem to help generate creativity in the room, and they have always been very open to giving their knowledge to the other class members; they seem to pull the others along and everybody does work to a higher standard. I'm assuming that comes from working in costuming shops with others, where there's a deadline and everyone has to pull together. Anyway, just an observation.
Q. You ALSO operate a boutique based in Wilmington, NC, aMuse. Do you stock only your own designs, or if not, which other milliners' work do you carry? Is your studio located in the same space as the shop? (Basically, tell us a bit about your shop!)
I opened my shop, aMuse: artisanal finery, 5 years ago. It was a total leap of faith. I had no idea whether a shop that sold mostly custom hats would be able to survive or not. Well, here I am 5 years later and it gets better every year. I can't imagine doing anything else with my life and wonder why I didn't do it earlier, my only regret. I describe the shop as an accessories shop--mostly hats and vintage costume jewelry, vintage gloves and bags, and about a year ago I started carrying a few dresses that I call 'occasion dress'--not too formal, but not too casual either, because many of my clients are having a hat or headpiece made for a special occasion.
For most of the year the hats and headpieces come straight out of my workroom, which is in the back of the shop and not accessible to the public. But during the busiest hat-wearing time of year in Wilmington (March--July) I bring in other milliners' work. Most of the work I do is custom-made throughout the year, and having other people's work in the shop creates a diversity of styles for those who are looking to purchase something right off the hat stand, who aren't looking at having something made for a specific dress or occasion. I have to say I'm very picky about whose hats I bring into the shop because I want it to represent the millinery trade in a positive way. No glue, no machine stitching, no shortcuts. These hats are all about true millinery arts.
Q. Do you design seasonal style collections, or strictly one-of-a-kind pieces? When it comes to designing, do you construct your hats based on concepts and drawings, or do you work sculpturally letting the media determine the form?
I certainly have seasonal pieces in the shop at any given time, but no, I don't create a seasonal line, as such. Many milliners do but I've found that since most of my work is custom-made it is more economical for me, time-and materials-wise, to have representative hats in the shop for people to try on and get ideas about shape, embellishment, color, style--to see what is becoming to their face shape, hair, body shape, etc. We then design a custom piece that fits their head properly and is styled to their requirements. I see no good reason to make up 50 hats to have in the shop knowing that most are not going to sell because they are not 'right' for the buyer, for many reasons.
When I'm making hats for shop stock I usually have some sort of idea about what the style will be. Sometimes I sketch it out and other times I have a brilliant idea and just jump right in and get started. However, since these hats are not for a client, they will evolve in many cases. I do believe in the spirit within the material, and sometimes these hats decide what THEY want to be as opposed to what I want them to be. Sometimes we fight! But the hat always wins.
Q. What advice would you give readers considering a career in contemporary millinery?
Don't give up the day job just yet! Take as many classes as you can from as many milliners as you can. We all do the same thing but we all do it a little differently. Practice your skills, make mistakes, take design chances, study old texts, take apart thrift store hats and see the construction, start collecting materials, blocks, supplies, keep learning! If you can apprentice with a master milliner do so. Don't think you will learn it all in a single class. I'm still learning some 15 years later and hope to continue to learn. Have fun with it! The millinery world is really rather small on a global scale, so jump in the mix and vow to keep the true millinery arts alive.
And, that's the interview. Thank you, Jan, for taking the time to share your thoughts on millinery with the La Bricoleuse readership!
You can follow Jan's millinery and teaching schedule online at the following links:
Blog: http://janshatshatshats.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.hatshatshats.com
Classes webpage: http://www.hatshatshats.com/classes.htm
Facebook personal: http://www.facebook.com/jan.wutkowski
Facebook business: http://www.facebook.com/amuse.artisanal.finery
Q. How long have you been designing hats, and how did you get started?
I was very fortunate to live in Australia in 1995. For the first 6 months I lived in Brisbane, Queensland, and was actively looking for something to study and immerse myself in--some artistic skill to bring back to the US and try to make a living at. Living there seemed like such a fairy tale anyway, I mean, who gets to go live in Australia for a year and have nothing to do but have a great time and learn as much as you can? I looked into taking classes in the old craft of applying gold leaf to frames, statues, chairs, and other objets d'art, but it just didn't seem right for me.
I then moved to Melbourne, Victoria, for the remaining 6 months, and was lucky enough to live just a couple of blocks from an amazing working craft gallery. Lots of artists showing how they created their work--spinners, printmakers, blacksmiths, glass blowers, and milliners, all under one roof. Every week I'd go to the gallery and watch the milliners blocking straws and felts, covering buckram, and many other millinery skills. The next week I'd go back and see the finished product waiting for someone to purchase it. I was amazed! But I contacted the millinery school because I found out they could teach me to make handmade felt, not to learn to make hats. I'd never even heard of handmade felt until I moved Australia, but quickly fell in love with the whole process.
After I took the feltmaking class I enrolled in the millinery classes. I had been a collector of vintage hats for years and loved to wear them, but it had never occurred to me at all as to how they were made; I just knew I loved these little works of art, little sculptures you put on your head. I'm also one of those souls who have tried every art and craft around but I'd always lose interest after the first year or so. Millinery? It stuck and I've never looked back.
"Big Pink" by Jan Wutkowski
Q. You work in a range of methods--blocked felt and straw, sewn fabric soft structure, and buckram bases. Do you have a favorite?
That's a question I get asked about a lot and I have to say blocking felt is where I get the most pleasure. It is so sculptural, especially when free-form blocking. And it is very forgiving. If you block a hat and don't particularly love the style, you can always block it into something else. It is a medium that is perfect for beginners because of this property. But I must say that I also love working with fabric-covered buckram, again, because there are so many possibilities with it. Not only the shape of the buckram but how you drape your choice of fabric over that shape. Just so many options to get rich textures and loads of visual interest.
Q. Who are your influences in hat design?
Favorite vintage millinery designers are Schiaparelli, Bes-Ben, Lily Dache, but my favorite contemporary milliner is Eugenie van Oirschot, from The Netherlands. I've had the privilege of teaching with her twice at the International Millinery Forum in Australia. She is incredible. I love great lines and how they are juxtaposed; I like clean lines with little fuss to the overall look. So nature is a big influence as well as architecture. But my love of vintage jewelry from the art deco, art nouveau, and modernist schools is probably my biggest influence in design.
Shoe Hat by Elsa Schiaparelli
Q. You also travel the world teaching millinery classes on a wide range of topics. Tell us about your favorite class to teach!
I teach about 15 different skill sets that are either true millinery arts or are relative to hatmaking, such as French flowermaking. I love them all!
And my answer to your question doesn't really have much to do with WHAT I'm teaching as it does with WHO I'm teaching. I've been teaching millinery since around 1998 and now teach about 7-8 months of the year--about 10 classes a year, excluding the private classes I teach in my atelier. So I teach quite a few people a year! But I absolutely love the classes where the class dynamics are finely tuned. A class where everyone is receptive to a new skill, listens, experiments, works with the other class members, is giving and forgiving. Wow! Those classes have me buzzing!
I can never anticipate whether a class will develop this fine dynamic either, it just happens. And when it does it is magical for all of us. I will say this, however, that many of those classes have costumers in them. The costumers seem to help generate creativity in the room, and they have always been very open to giving their knowledge to the other class members; they seem to pull the others along and everybody does work to a higher standard. I'm assuming that comes from working in costuming shops with others, where there's a deadline and everyone has to pull together. Anyway, just an observation.
Q. You ALSO operate a boutique based in Wilmington, NC, aMuse. Do you stock only your own designs, or if not, which other milliners' work do you carry? Is your studio located in the same space as the shop? (Basically, tell us a bit about your shop!)
I opened my shop, aMuse: artisanal finery, 5 years ago. It was a total leap of faith. I had no idea whether a shop that sold mostly custom hats would be able to survive or not. Well, here I am 5 years later and it gets better every year. I can't imagine doing anything else with my life and wonder why I didn't do it earlier, my only regret. I describe the shop as an accessories shop--mostly hats and vintage costume jewelry, vintage gloves and bags, and about a year ago I started carrying a few dresses that I call 'occasion dress'--not too formal, but not too casual either, because many of my clients are having a hat or headpiece made for a special occasion.
For most of the year the hats and headpieces come straight out of my workroom, which is in the back of the shop and not accessible to the public. But during the busiest hat-wearing time of year in Wilmington (March--July) I bring in other milliners' work. Most of the work I do is custom-made throughout the year, and having other people's work in the shop creates a diversity of styles for those who are looking to purchase something right off the hat stand, who aren't looking at having something made for a specific dress or occasion. I have to say I'm very picky about whose hats I bring into the shop because I want it to represent the millinery trade in a positive way. No glue, no machine stitching, no shortcuts. These hats are all about true millinery arts.
Q. Do you design seasonal style collections, or strictly one-of-a-kind pieces? When it comes to designing, do you construct your hats based on concepts and drawings, or do you work sculpturally letting the media determine the form?
I certainly have seasonal pieces in the shop at any given time, but no, I don't create a seasonal line, as such. Many milliners do but I've found that since most of my work is custom-made it is more economical for me, time-and materials-wise, to have representative hats in the shop for people to try on and get ideas about shape, embellishment, color, style--to see what is becoming to their face shape, hair, body shape, etc. We then design a custom piece that fits their head properly and is styled to their requirements. I see no good reason to make up 50 hats to have in the shop knowing that most are not going to sell because they are not 'right' for the buyer, for many reasons.
When I'm making hats for shop stock I usually have some sort of idea about what the style will be. Sometimes I sketch it out and other times I have a brilliant idea and just jump right in and get started. However, since these hats are not for a client, they will evolve in many cases. I do believe in the spirit within the material, and sometimes these hats decide what THEY want to be as opposed to what I want them to be. Sometimes we fight! But the hat always wins.
Q. What advice would you give readers considering a career in contemporary millinery?
Don't give up the day job just yet! Take as many classes as you can from as many milliners as you can. We all do the same thing but we all do it a little differently. Practice your skills, make mistakes, take design chances, study old texts, take apart thrift store hats and see the construction, start collecting materials, blocks, supplies, keep learning! If you can apprentice with a master milliner do so. Don't think you will learn it all in a single class. I'm still learning some 15 years later and hope to continue to learn. Have fun with it! The millinery world is really rather small on a global scale, so jump in the mix and vow to keep the true millinery arts alive.
And, that's the interview. Thank you, Jan, for taking the time to share your thoughts on millinery with the La Bricoleuse readership!
You can follow Jan's millinery and teaching schedule online at the following links:
Blog: http://janshatshatshats.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.hatshatshats.com
Classes webpage: http://www.hatshatshats.com/classes.htm
Facebook personal: http://www.facebook.com/jan.wutkowski
Facebook business: http://www.facebook.com/amuse.artisanal.finery