Interview: Maria Curcic of Le Chapeau Rouge!
Today i've got a great new interview to share, with milliner Maria Curcic of Le Chapeau Rouge.
Photographer: Judy Bandsmer
Model: Emily Mann
Hat, hair, and makeup: Maria Curcic
Q. How long have you been designing hats, and how did you get started?
A. I have been in the arts since the early 80’s, with fashion shows, producing my own shows and so on. My life circled around hats, design, fashion, and architecture. My mother was a seamstress and made a lot of our clothes--she taught me how to sew and the basics of sewing. She always had me in hats at a young age, and I wore them often in our outings in Paris. I really believe growing up in Paris influenced how I saw women accessorize.
Q. You work with a wide range of materials--felt, feathers, fabrics, straw, etc. Do you have a favorite and why?
A. My favorite materials are silks, satins and felt mostly, but really, my work is about wearable art. My pieces tend to reflect my knowledge of materials to create wearable forms. My work is multi-dimensional, so [I appreciate] materials that can be applied to these methods of millinery.
Q. Who are your influences in hat design?
A. I really loved the work of Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy and Louis Mariette to name a few. I love their whimsical styles and their dedicated life passion.
Q. Tell me about your store in Calgary, Le Chapeau Rouge, and how you shifted to wholesale.
A. I opened in 1994, knowing there was nothing like it at all in Calgary, or much in Canada [at all] for that matter. I was designing hats for a friend’s store in 1990, and she encouraged me to open my own store. I really wanted to push fashion-forward hats to women who wanted something that was not run-of-the-mill or mass-produced. Most of my clients wanted me to create something I would wear.
My store stocked many European designers such as Louise MacDonald and many others…I also carried a great line of men’s hats from Germany. Around that time, men were not even seen in hats other than baseball caps; the same went for women.
I had some great lines of my own which I produced for various retailers across Canada while running a store full time--thus began the wholesale aspect of my business.
Currently, I still sell wholesale (more of my unique art pieces) to boutiques as well as retail on eBay:
http://www.ebay.ca/usr/mariacurcic
I create custom designs with clients around the world. With easy access to the internet, these days it’s easy to sell abroad.
Q. Do you design seasonal style collections, or strictly one-of-a-kind pieces?
A. I design both seasonal and one-of-a-kind works.
Q. 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?
A. A bit of both. I sometimes love to manipulate the materials, then I sketch out the idea and move forward with the concept. Sometimes it’s the other way around--I draw the hat, then look for the materials. Either way, both processes are rewarding!
Q. What's your favorite tool or piece of equipment in your millinery workroom?
A. My vintage blocks.
Q. What advice would you give readers considering a career in contemporary millinery?
A. Learn the basics of sewing, materials and how they work together. If you are serious about this trade, take a credited course in fashion/millinery design. Taking a few workshops here and there, that does not make you a milliner. Millinery takes time, creativity, and patience to master.
I studied Interior Design and majored in drawing in art school prior to millinery, so I am very familiar with various fibres, drafting, color theory and so on.
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me about your work, Maria! You can keep up with Maria's millinery on her Facebook page and website, and she's also shared a link to a video as well:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Chapeau-Rouge/237140949667615
https://vimeo.com/124983126
http://www.mariacurcic.com
Photographer: Judy Bandsmer
Model: Emily Mann
Hat, hair, and makeup: Maria Curcic
Q. How long have you been designing hats, and how did you get started?
A. I have been in the arts since the early 80’s, with fashion shows, producing my own shows and so on. My life circled around hats, design, fashion, and architecture. My mother was a seamstress and made a lot of our clothes--she taught me how to sew and the basics of sewing. She always had me in hats at a young age, and I wore them often in our outings in Paris. I really believe growing up in Paris influenced how I saw women accessorize.
Q. You work with a wide range of materials--felt, feathers, fabrics, straw, etc. Do you have a favorite and why?
A. My favorite materials are silks, satins and felt mostly, but really, my work is about wearable art. My pieces tend to reflect my knowledge of materials to create wearable forms. My work is multi-dimensional, so [I appreciate] materials that can be applied to these methods of millinery.
Q. Who are your influences in hat design?
A. I really loved the work of Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy and Louis Mariette to name a few. I love their whimsical styles and their dedicated life passion.
Q. Tell me about your store in Calgary, Le Chapeau Rouge, and how you shifted to wholesale.
A. I opened in 1994, knowing there was nothing like it at all in Calgary, or much in Canada [at all] for that matter. I was designing hats for a friend’s store in 1990, and she encouraged me to open my own store. I really wanted to push fashion-forward hats to women who wanted something that was not run-of-the-mill or mass-produced. Most of my clients wanted me to create something I would wear.
My store stocked many European designers such as Louise MacDonald and many others…I also carried a great line of men’s hats from Germany. Around that time, men were not even seen in hats other than baseball caps; the same went for women.
I had some great lines of my own which I produced for various retailers across Canada while running a store full time--thus began the wholesale aspect of my business.
Currently, I still sell wholesale (more of my unique art pieces) to boutiques as well as retail on eBay:
http://www.ebay.ca/usr/mariacurcic
I create custom designs with clients around the world. With easy access to the internet, these days it’s easy to sell abroad.
Q. Do you design seasonal style collections, or strictly one-of-a-kind pieces?
A. I design both seasonal and one-of-a-kind works.
Q. 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?
A. A bit of both. I sometimes love to manipulate the materials, then I sketch out the idea and move forward with the concept. Sometimes it’s the other way around--I draw the hat, then look for the materials. Either way, both processes are rewarding!
Q. What's your favorite tool or piece of equipment in your millinery workroom?
A. My vintage blocks.
Q. What advice would you give readers considering a career in contemporary millinery?
A. Learn the basics of sewing, materials and how they work together. If you are serious about this trade, take a credited course in fashion/millinery design. Taking a few workshops here and there, that does not make you a milliner. Millinery takes time, creativity, and patience to master.
I studied Interior Design and majored in drawing in art school prior to millinery, so I am very familiar with various fibres, drafting, color theory and so on.
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me about your work, Maria! You can keep up with Maria's millinery on her Facebook page and website, and she's also shared a link to a video as well:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Chapeau-Rouge/237140949667615
https://vimeo.com/124983126
http://www.mariacurcic.com