THE WINSTON CHURCHILL MEMORIAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA REPORT BY ROSIE BOYLAN 2008 RECIPIENT To develop expertise in men s hat design by examining current and historical practices. I understand that the Churchill Trust may publish this report, either in hard copy or on the internet or both, and consent to such publication. I indemnify the Churchill Trust against any loss, costs or damages it may suffer arising out of a claim or proceedings made against the Trust in respect of or arising out of the publication of any report submitted to the Trust and which the Trust places on a website for access over the internet. I also warrant that my final report is original and does not infringe the copyright of any person, or contain anything which is, or the incorporation of which into the Final Report is, actionable for defamation, a breach of any privacy law or obligation, breach of confidence, contempt of court, passing off or contravention of any other private right or of any law. Signed Dated Rosie Boylan 12 th May, 2009 1
INTRODUCTION Over the last 30 years working as a headwear specialist for the stage and screen industries, I have honed my hat making skills to create headwear that supports characters in telling stories about our culture. Trained in late 19 th and early 20 th century hat making practice, I wanted to bridge the gap between my historical skills and knowledge with an emerging international trend in contemporary men s hat wearing. My project comprised 3 interconnecting pathways. Examining international museum collections of historic headwear and hat making. Witnessing current interpretations of traditional hat manufacture and aligned marketing trends. Skill sharing advanced construction methods and new materials with specialist hat makers, manufacturers and suppliers. The Winston Churchill fellowship provided me with a mid career opportunity to not only review my own studio practices, but to research, share and view other headwear practitioners and historians and their practices in a range of applications and cultural contexts. My project took me to Japan, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and the United Sates of America. I am extremely grateful to the Churchill Trust for this unique opportunity to explore the international headwear industry. It opened pathways of exchange and goodwill amongst colleagues in an industry that has been in decline for years and confirmed for me that headwear is currently experiencing a revival in popularity. Many people along the way, both in Australia and on my journey, rose to guide me in my fellowship of the hat. I am grateful to them for their encouragement, advice, support and hospitality. 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ROSIE BOYLAN 273 AUSTRALIA ST NEWTOWN 2042 NSW HEADWEAR SPECIALIST PH 0412 744186 rosie@rosieboylan.com As a hat specialist of 30 years working in the Australian performance industry, I wished to gain mastery in men s headwear design by reviewing contemporary and historical practices in a range of countries. I researched men s hat design at international museums. I visited headwear companies to view their manufacturing, design and marketing strategies. I attended fashion expositions that showcased current headwear trends, techniques and resources and I shared my hat making knowledge with fellow practitioners. My fellowship of the hat took me to Japan, Italy, France, UK and USA. I travelled from the 1 st Jan 2009 to 7 th March 2009 HIGHLIGHTS Visiting the Borsalino Hat Museum Alessandria, Italy Attending Premiere Vision, a textile and fibre exposition in Paris, France Attending the opening of Anthology by Stephen Jones, an exhibition of 20 th century hats at the Victoria and Albert Museum London, UK Witnessing Japanese men and their individual flair for hat wearing in Tokyo, Japan Skill sharing with hat makers in London, UK, New York, USA and Biella and Rome, Italy MAJOR LESSONS AND CONCLUSIONS Contemporary context Hat wearing is experiencing a revival with young men. Established hat companies are rebranding and pitching their marketing to a clientele who have not before worn hats. The trends are towards a casual deconstructed approach. While Australian hat making skills are of a world standard, a review of design practice in Australia will align our industry with global trends. Historical context Men s apparel, including headwear, is poorly represented within museums of period dress. This is due to a bias of collecting women s fashion and men not having a tradition around apparel donation. Documenting and preserving 20 th century men s dress within museums will improve our resources for researchers of history, fashion and cinema. DISSEMINATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF FINDINGS In my role as an educator, I will continue to teach hat making skills to students of contemporary and historical practice. Further to this I will encourage students to review and align their designs and techniques with international market trends, resources and supplies. I will work with Australian headwear manufacturers to nurture young talent and foster stronger links between commercial manufacturing and educational institutions to build a stronger headwear community. I will urge museums to display their collections of headwear, both European and Indigenous and encourage further acquisitions, articles and public dialogue in this area. To further promote the wearing of hats, I am creating a hatters blog to share hat making and hat wearing knowledge with colleagues and enthusiasts both nationally and internationally. My own practice as a headwear specialist has been affirmed and nourished by the fellowship. I am extending my practice to include designing and making contemporary custom made men s hats. 3
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME JAPAN 2 ND 7 TH JAN 2009 TOKYO CL4LA Men s hat manufacturer and retailer OVERRIDE 999 Men s hat manufacturer and retailer ISETAN Men s hat retailer COEUR RIPE Men s hat manufacture KYOTO KYOTO COSTUME INSTITUTE Men s and women s headwear 1700 1950 ITALY 8TH 25 TH JANUARY ROME DITTA PIERONI BRUNO Men s hat manufacturer, skill share FLORENCE PITTI UOMO Contemporary men s fashion exposition MUSEO DELLA PAGLIA Straw hat museum GREVI GORI Headwear supplier TESI Men s hat manufacturer PELLUCI Hat block maker FERREGAMO SHOE MUSEUM craft shoe making TURIN CAPELLIFICIO BARBISIO Men s hat manufacture, skill share BORSALINO HAT MUSEUM Men s hat museum 1850 2009 4
FRANCE 26 TH JAN 1 ST FEB PARIS PREMIERE CLASSE Contemporary fashion headwear exposition PREMIERE VISION Contemporary textile and fibre exposition UNITED KINGDOM 2 ND 24 TH FEBRUARY LONDON LONDON FASHION WEEK Contemporary headwear and fashion exposition SANDS FILMS Historical headwear ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA Historical headwear, shill share ROYAL OPERA HOUSE Historical headwear, skill share VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM Historical research, men s hats 1820 1900 LOCK HATTERS Men s hat manufacturer and retailer ANTHOLOGY OF HATS BY STEPHEN JONES, V&A Museum 20 th century fashion headwear exhibition JANE SMITH HATTER Historical headwear, skill share MANCHESTER HATWORKS MUSEUM OF HATTING, Stockport Headwear and hat making museum UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 25 TH FEB 5 TH MARCH NEW YORK LOLA HATS Men s hat manufacturer, skill share ROD KEENAN Men s hat manufacturer, skill share STILL LIFE Men s hat manufacturer retailer FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, ACCESSORIES COLLECTION 20 th cent headwear 5
Stylish Japanese hat buyer at Pitti Uomo, Florence, Italy January 2009 Luigi, hat maker, at Capellificio, Biella, Italy January 2009 Hat blocks at Capellificio, Biella, Italy January 2009 6 Rod Keenan, men s hat maker, Harlem, New York, USA March 2009
Graffiti style street hat decoration, New York, USA March 2009 Frenel Morris Still Life Hat Company (manufacturer and retailer), New York, USA March Rosie Boylan at Borsalino Hat Museum, Alessandria, Italy January 2009 Hat styling in Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan January 2009 7
Hat customer at Lock Hatters, London, UK February 2009 Fine woven straw cone sample, Museo della Paglia, Florence, Italy January 2009 Miniature fedora block at Pelluci hat block maker, Campi Bisenzio, Florence, Italy January 2009 Stockroom, Tesi Hats, Campi Bisenzio, Florence, Italy January 2009 8
BACKGROUND A manufacturing industry in decline The Cultural Revolution during the 1960s bought about a review of dress codes. The motor car and heated public buildings made the function of hat wearing unnecessary. Dressing without a hat was a shift away from the post war, post colonial world where hats symbolized formality, rank or class. By the 1970s, after hundreds of years of hat manufacture, the global hat industry was decimated. Australian companies closed shops and manufacturing plants were dismantled and destroyed. Milliners hung up their hat and shrank to retirement. Some companies struggled on, supplying hats to those who had always worn them while shifting their core market to functional headwear for uniform, outdoor and school purposes. This was followed in the early 1990s by a trend for off shore manufacturing, chasing cheaper labour costs, predominantly in Asia. Employment for the skills of Australian hat makers and milliners was at an all time low. Training Fortunately women s hat making (millinery) continued to be taught at some Australian educational institutions including TAFE. These courses catered mainly for the Racing and Bridal industries where formal dress was still mandatory. Traditional brands like Akubra maintained their manufacturing staff in Australia, catering to a diminished men s fashion and outdoor market. My headwear background Strangely, I decided to become a hat maker during the early 1980s, when the industry was at its lowest ebb. Discarded resources were abundant as companies jettisoned decades of supplies. I began collecting these raw materials for my future of hat making. At this time I met 80 year old, Betty Viazim, the doyen of Sydney s 20 th century fashion hat making. She was keen to impart some of her headwear knowledge to me. I felt the weight of responsibility for preserving an age old craft that was no longer valued. While fashion and street headwear was not in demand at this time, I established a solid career in making headwear for the Australian stage and screen industries where unique 19 th and 20 th century hat making skills were highly valued. Some of my more notable screen credits have been the films The Piano, Moulin Rouge, Peter Pan and Australia. Throughout this time I have also taught my hat making skills to students of fashion and period dress at various Sydney educational institutions including NIDA, TAFE and UTS. Creating a bridge In 2008, being mid career and knowing my skills to be unique, I wished to bridge the gap between my wealth of hat knowledge in Australia with emerging global trends in contemporary hat wearing. The Churchill Fellowship provided this bridge. 9
REPORT ON CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIP HISTORICAL CONTEXT My background in creating headwear for stage and screen led me to explore historical practices in hat making and design. I attended research appointments at museums in Japan, Italy, England and the US to view collections of headwear and related ephemera. Museums of dress Men s headwear is poorly represented within museums of dress. Historically, men have not had a tradition of donating apparel to museum collections. They have worn their clothing until worn out and therefore, were deemed to be of an uncollectable museum standard. Changes in men s clothing trends have been subtle and a bias by curators towards collecting women s wear as the indicator of changing fashions has exacerbated the poor representation of menswear in museums. This aspect of my fellowship was of mixed result. While the samples of men s hats were excellent, there were limited examples to demonstrate subtleties of style changes, character or a variety of techniques. Museums of headwear These museums were excellent in displaying the history of hat manufacture, style trends and headwear ephemera. The staff at these institutions shared my passion for headwear and were able to speak in depth about hat manufacturing from a historical perspective. General museums In addition to those museums listed in my study program, I also visited the following more general costume and historical collections. Paintings, photography, film, fibres, texts and artefacts elaborated my research on the evolution of headwear and textiles throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century. Museum of traditional crafts Tokyo, Japan Japanese crafts Palais Galleria Paris, France 18 th cent. French dress Greenwich Maritime Museum London, UK English naval headwear Liverpool Maritime Museum Liverpool, UK English naval headwear Musee De Quai Branly Paris, France Indigenous headwear Slavery Museum Liverpool, UK Indigenous and colonial headwear Quarry Bank Mill Styl, UK Textile manufacturing Tenement Museum New York, USA Migration headwear Churchill Museum London, UK Street and ceremonial headwear Natural History Museum New York, USA Indigenous headwear Pitti Palace Florence, Italy 18 th and 19 th century Italian dress Museum of Italian Cinema Turin, Italy Headwear in 20 th century Italian cinema These museums brought into focus the colonization, dispossession and migration of cultures around the globe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I followed the story of the hat as a symbol of colonial and indigenous politics. 10
CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT Seeing an opportunity to reinterpret my skills in a contemporary way, I researched current trends driving modern hat manufacture, fibres, design and marketing. Expositions I attended expositions of contemporary styling for headwear, textiles and fashion in Italy, France and the UK. These expositions were invaluable in gaining a global perspective on the breadth of the apparel industry in Europe, and how established and emerging international headwear companies market and display their products in the global marketplace. Hat manufacturers I visited a range of men s hat manufacturers in Italy and England to view their manufacturing divisions. Operating at differing scales and to a range of markets, these companies are experiencing a revival of interest in contemporary men s headwear. Many established global companies are reviewing and rebranding their headwear products. Pitching to a younger market, they are realigning their design and marketing strategies to this new audience who are seeking interpretations of traditional styles. Manufactured components are sourced and assembled in a range of countries and transported globally for completion and sale. Headwear retailers Globally, headwear is becoming the new fashion accessory. I visited numerous retail outlets in Japan, Italy, France, the UK and the USA. Rather than selling through designated hat shops, apparel stores are displaying headwear stands amongst other clothing displays. Hats are becoming integrated again as an apparel basic. Sizing of hats has become generic and quality standards have diminished at the cheaper end of the market. However, quality headwear is still available in hat shops, specializing in selling established brands. As leaders in international fashion trends, young Japanese men have embraced classic western hat styles, wearing them with great flare. SKILL SHARING Wishing to share my skills with international colleagues, I spent time with fellow hat makers of contemporary and historical headwear in Italy, the UK and the USA. We shared contacts for new resources, design and construction techniques and web based marketing strategies. I learnt new skills in sculpting hat blocks. From these shared experiences, it was affirmed to me that Australian hat making practice and educational delivery is of a worldclass standard. I made invitations of cultural exchange and initiated ongoing relationships which I am confident will flourish. 11
OUTCOMES When I undertook my traineeship in the early 1980 s others had abandoned my industry. Committed to preserving the world of the hat maker, I was often alone in my practice. The international headwear industry is currently experiencing early signs of a recovery and it is very exciting to witness this global revival of interest in hat wearing. My Churchill Fellowship program has reinvigorated my practice, connected me with fellow hatters globally and confirmed we have a small but vital community of hat making in Australia. In my role as an educator, and now being more aware of the breadth of my own skills, I will continue to teach hat making to students of contemporary and historical practice. I will encourage them to align their designs and techniques with international market trends and resources. I will foster links between educational institutions and Australian headwear manufacturers to build a stronger headwear community. I will urge museums to exhibit their collections of headwear, both European and Indigenous and encourage further acquisitions, articles and public discussion in this arena. To further promote the wearing of hats, I am creating a hatters blog to share hat making and hat wearing knowledge with colleagues and enthusiasts both nationally and internationally. I am nurturing pathways of cultural exchange between practitioners and students and building trading links with headwear suppliers and retailers. My own practice as a headwear specialist has been affirmed and invigorated by the fellowship. I am extending my practice to design and making contemporary custom made men s hats. 12