Hats Off to Our Favorite Festie Hat Designers
Article by: Tessla Venus Goodwin|@GlitterSpiesWed February 22, 2017 | 09:45 AM
We wear many hats at festivals, both literally and figuratively. Festivals allow us to step outside our normal lives, and infuse our daily selves with manifestations of who we dream of being. And the freedom to dress in costumes and take on personas without judgement only lets us take those dream-visions of ourselves further.
Sometimes, it all starts with a hat; a limited edition or one-of-a-kind topper is all you need to take any outfit to the next level. You’ll never have to worry about looking the same as anyone else. These designs are gorgeous and are always handmade. Their price tags mean you're supporting independent artists and keeping the love in the festival community. Rest-assured they are worth the money, and many festival hat designers are open to trade or payment plans.
Whether you fancy yourself a mad hatter or a bedazzled military champion, the following designers can help you become anything you dream up.
Corinne Loperfido
Blue Day of the Dead Headdress. Photo by: Corinne Loperfido
One-of-a-kind and expertly made, Corinne Loperfido’s creations are truly otherworldly. Her use of color, texture, and accoutrements makes each piece the highest caliber of accessory. "I create wearable art for people to wear when they want to shape-shift into an alternative personality or to more fully express themselves with elaborately adorned pieces,” says Corinne.
Night Knight Anti Paparazzi Hat. Photo by: Corinne Loperfido
Each hat or headdress inspires a story of a mythical creature by simply gracing the world with its presence for a limited time. Keep up with her latest creations via Instagram .
Grassroots California
Beyond a devotion to fine design and quality, Grassroots California is committed to fostering collaborations between artists and supporting charities. A percentage of every purchase goes to charity and the company works with hundreds of artists to help transfer their visions and pieces into new mediums. With affordable prices and an unmatched array of designs, it’s no wonder they also create the official hats for over 100 festivals including some of our favorites, like Lighting In a Bottle, Shambhala, and Envision.
The Fancy Shop of Important Things
From cowboy hats, to top hats, to fedoras, and beyond, there is a hat that will call your name at The Fancy Shop of Important Things. Each hat is 100% handmade, even down to the fabric itself. This "Art For Your Head," as the Fancy Shop calls its wares, will add huge pops of color and handmade charm to your festival look. Contact them through their website to see what is available or place a custom order.
Light Sound Dimension
For something more simple but just as dope and handmade, Light Sound Dimension makes fresh snapbacks with all different kinds of colors and fabrics. Most of the company's hats also feature a cool, embroidered design such as the flower of life or Eye of Ra. They also make unique screen-printed t-shirts. See designs as they are made via their Instagram.
Isla Campbell Millinery and Costumery
Invoking every fantasy imaginable from whimsical princesses to dark medieval lords, Isla Campbell’s creations have no limits. She is a full-time costume designer and can create an entire look to go with your hat, should you so desire.
Make sure to scan through her pictures to get a taste of her whimsical creations.
Zippity-Do
Eyes are a common motif in festival fashion due to an affinity for opening the "third eye" in such freewheeling, festie environments. But we love the zipped-open eyes Zippity-Do adds to their hats for an imaginative take on what our third eyes might look like.
“I started making these eyeball hat-pins a few years ago. I wanted to design something that was like a weird [third] eye. The wearer could put it on and get into the silly vision of their next adventure. The eyelid is lined with a strip of zipper, to represent it having been opened to a world of strange and wonderful possibilities. Zippity-Do comes from the word zipper and DOING! dressing up, getting out there, and doing something wonderful with your vision!” says Rebecca, designer of Zippity-Do.
Uplifted Mindz
Intricate patchwork patterns and an excellent use of rick-rack serve as the basis for most of Uplifted Mindz wonderful creations. Embellished with sacred geometry and sometimes crystals, these hats add magic to any outfit.
They look incredible on both girls and guys, as you can see on Instagram.
Fancy Vandals
Bringing an attitude of subversion of vandalism to high festival fashion, Carolyn Weiner designs each hat with a specific personality in mind. Each hat is bestowed with a moniker such as “Shattered” or “Shoot for the Stars” and transforms the wearer into a true weekend – or in this case, festival – warrior.
Photo by: Fancy Vandals
Not afraid of the dark, debaucherous or macabre, you can often find studs, shattered glass, or even animal bones in her work. She also includes LED lights on some of her pieces so you’ll never get lost in the crowd. Her Instagram is here.
