Headonism is a British Fashion Council initiative curated by Stephen Jones, celebrating the new wave of emerging London milliners. The event will take place as part of the 25 Years of British Fashion celebrations and will provide the centrepiece at the inaugural breakfast. Each participating milliner will showcase five couture pieces from their forthcoming S/S10 collection on a moving tableau created by artistic director Michael Howells, that is inspired by the architecture of venue Somerset House (built in 1776) and classic Wedgwood Jasperware of the Georgian period. The British Fashion Council is also sponsoring each milliner by providing exhibition space within the London Fashion Week exhibition of Designer Collections which will open on the same morning as the event.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and Harold Tillman, Chairman of the British Fashion Council will also be present at the event and will officially launch London Fashion Week September 09.
The event was conceived partly as a response to the overwhelming success of Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones, which opened at the V&A this February, and a strong new wave of millinery applicants wishing to show at LFW.
The five selected milliners chosen by Stephen Jones are as follows:
J Smith Esq
Little Shilpa
Noel Stewart
Piers Atkinson
Soren Bach
Curator Stephen Jones said “Headonism is London in a hatbox. The UK has always produced and trained the world’s most exciting milliners, and the capital is a city that thrives on youth and invention – it’s a perfect cocktail for exciting hat design and a constant source of inspiration both for me, and all those ta king part. It has been a lot of fun to work on, and by supporting our young milliners we are creating a legacy for the future of the British hat industry.”
On receiving the sponsorship, participating milliner Piers Atkinson said, “This is a great opportunity for me and I’m incredibly grateful for the exposure, but more importantly, I feel that this event signifies a recognition that dressing up is coming back into fashion, and where millinery finally becomes more about having fun rather than the obligatory weddings and funerals.”
Find out more about Headonism: www.britishfashioncouncil.com/headonism