This is the first issue of our series “The makers”.
“Hats are like secret dreams. I want people to fulfil their dreams with my hats.” says Fiona Bennett, a Berlin based hat maker with style. Well, we wouldn’t accuse her of being mad, but her hats are definately crazy – in a good way. She is making hats now for over 18 years and that with great success. Her creations are high in demand: Christina Aguilera, Roger Cicero, Rammstein, Ben Becker and Mia are just a few of her national and international clients. Her hats are available not only in her salon in Berlin, but also in London, Milan and Tokyo.
We met the charming creative and asked a few questions about Berlin and hats. Some shots of her new gentlemens collection, more infos and the full interview right after the jump.
Why Berlin?
Berlin is a city in permanent motion. You can always meet exciting new characters. But aesthetically there is still plenty of room for improvement.
What is your favourite place in Berlin and why?
The “Museumsinsel” (see map) is one of my favourite places. I like its atmosphere during the early evening, the river Spree and the historical buildings.
Would you like to live in another city?
I love England and could imagine to live there. London is very exciting. But I guess I would rather live in Brighton, close to the sea, and drive to London for work…
You’ve become very popular with your hat collections. Does it feel like you’ve reached what you’ve dreamt of or do you have higher goals?
I’m still on my way to what I’m planning to accomplish. For me everything keeps moving and growing. And so is my label.
Do you think people from Berlin are hat people?
In Berlin people are more individualistic than in other big cities and they don’t abide by fashion dictates. Their own personality is in the foreground. So I guess they indeed are hat people.
Which hat is your favourite?
That changes quite often. But there are a few models that are timeless and that I like to wear regularely, like the stars (see first photo) or the nacre hair-band.
Visit Fiona Bennett in her hat salon in Mitte near Hackischer Markt:
Hutgalerie Fiona Bennett
Große Hamburger Straße 25
10115 Berlin
Portrait by Joachim Gern
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