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How did you become a hat lover?
My love for hats has been a slow love story. I always liked hats. I always loved how every detail makes a difference to your appearance, and wearing a hat has a huge impact. But my love for hat-making started while I was working as a Costume Designer for television. My professional career has always involved creativity and fashion. I have a Fine Arts Degree, my dream was to be an artist, but I had an affinity for Costume Design. I found that hats are the perfect combination of my professional passions. First, I became in love with hat history. Then, I had to research the costumes I needed for the characters. Often, we couldn’t find historically accurate hats or fascinators, so we made them. After a while, I realized that my obsession with hats had captured me!! I was utterly in love with hat-making, it was the only thing I was interested in. So I decided to quit my job as a Costume Designer and became a full-time hat-maker.
Describe your creative process, from start to finish. Any challenges along the way?
My creative process is kind of anarchic… I’ve heard this is true of many hat-makers!
Most of the time, I start with an image, usually a still from an old movie. Then, I imagine a scene; I start thinking of a hat that would look great on a character. I create a sketch to try to order my thoughts, a very simple drawing. Then I add lists, I make a lot of lists, adding inspirational words, including cities, colors, and materials. At this point, I always get anxious; I think inspiration won’t appear, but it always does. The funny thing is, I know that it’s rarely my first idea that will produce the final result. My surroundings also inspire me. My atelier is a co-working space. I share the studio with other artists, and I’m inspired every day by their creations. I want to use clay because I work next to a ceramist, but I also want to use leather because a bag designer works here. I’m inspired by everything creative. I love hat design and hat making. During the process, things constantly evolve, and so do the hats. The possibilities are endless. The trick is knowing when to stop.
The biggest challenge for me is creating custom-made pieces. After years of making hats, I still get nervous when I make hats for a client. I think making a hat for a concrete person is hard. A hat must fit correctly, that’s obvious. But it also must fit the personality, history, and way of life of the owner. A hat tells us so much about the individual wearing it, so it’s a big responsibility to make the perfect custom headpiece.
What do you love most about making things with your hands?
It’s just my normal way of living. It comes naturally to me. I don’t remember any part of my life without using my hands to make things. Since I was a kid, I’ve always made things I can’t imagine another way of life. I don’t think there’s anything I enjoy more. I can’t imagine not creating things with my hands.
What project has made you the proudest?
I’ve been making hats for the wonderful Spanish period TV show “Acacias 38” for the last few years. I am working with the talented Costume Designer Tania Alvarez. We work well together as we know each other’s requirements immediately. She trusts me, so I have a lot of freedom to design. I’ve learned a lot about period designs, the history of the materials, and techniques used to make them the same way as in the XIX century. I have made more than a hundred hats for this show, and I’m incredibly proud of my work.
How has living in Madrid influenced your creative journey?
Madrid has influenced me in all creative aspects, and many things inspire me. Living in a city like Madrid has given me the chance to meet so many interesting people, it’s a welcoming city. I’m originally from Pamplona in Northern Spain. Living in the city, you feel like you’ve been here forever. It’s a city full of life and art. There’re lots of talented people in Madrid, it attracts people from all over Spain. Madrid has an extensive history. In every corner you look, something has happened. Art and artists had lived and built this city for centuries and will continue to. Madrid is a big city with the spirit of a small town. A vibrant place that’s full of excitement and constant change.
Your iconic cities hat is one of my favorites. Talk me through the process and how this idea came about?
Thanks a lot! It makes me happy to hear that! The idea came from my love of Madrid, my home city. I wanted to share this love in my hats. Madrid is a fun city, and I try to express this feeling. When I was thinking about representing Madrid in a hat, I realized how much I love all the cities in the world!! How I love the part of globalization that allows you to experience all aspects of the world no matter where you live. I thought it was funny to embroider part of the cityscape on my hats and let people wear their favorite places on their heads!!
How has social media influenced your business journey?
I both love and hate social media in similar ways.
I love it because it has given me the chance to meet many hat-makers and hat lovers around the world. Without social media, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to connect, learn and share my knowledge with fellow hat enthusiasts. It also gave me a chance to promote my creations to a bigger audience.
On the downside, it’s necessary to invest a lot of time and effort into social platforms. I understand that social media is another job that needs to be mastered and implemented correctly. I respect social media professionals because it’s a tough job! I’m not a social media expert. I use it because I must and understand I need to be visible, but I don’t like the amount of time I have to invest in that rather than creating my hats!
What projects are you currently working on?
Right now, I’m enjoying teaching. I’ve been teaching hat-making for the past two years, and I’ve discovered the delights of passing on my passion and knowledge to the next generation of hat makers. I want to create an army of hat lovers!!
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