Karen Henriksen is a London-based milliner making hats for men and women that offer something slightly different in terms of style, cut (Karen describes her asymmetric seams below) and practicability (links below):
 |
| Wearing Karen Henriksen: left: Shetland wool 'Jake' - right: linen-blend 'Selby' |
Karen kindly made me two caps which I've worn regularly over the summer and autumn. They are beautifully made, fit well and offer something slightly different to the usual shapes and styles. I asked her to tell us something about her craft:
GF: Please introduce yourself and your business.
GF: How would you describe the style of both your men's and women's hats?
KH: Distinctive hats with tailoring detail, classic styles revisited with a contemporary twist, in high quality fabrics.
GF: Please introduce yourself and your business.
KH: Originally from Yorkshire (from a farming family on my father's side). My mother's family were from Blackburn, and worked in the cotton mills - so I feel there might be a mixed heritage of hard work, textiles and tweed caps going on somewhere subliminal! I have spent most of my life and career in London.
My business focuses on headwear for everyday with a creative twist, an 'everyday elegance' - classic styles such as flat caps, trilby hats and baker-boy caps for men and women, with something a little different. I mainly work with the cut and sew method, creating shapes with interesting tailored seams where you might not expect them. Based at Cockpit Bloomsbury since 2005.
GF: How did you get into millinery and hat making?
KH: I completed a degree in fashion and textiles in Birmingham in the '80s. It became clear at University that fashion design was not for me - but the details of fashion (stitching, embroidery) as well as the craft of cutting and putting together a garment fascinated me (and still does!). I already had an interest in headwear back then and designed hats in addition to the clothes for my final collection. Pretty soon after graduating I started working in millinery, working my way around some of the best millinery work rooms in London, this was in the 1990's. During this time I developed the technical know-how to craft high quality hats, mainly occasion hats for women.
In the early 2000's I attended the Royal College to do a millinery MA. With the making skills I had already developed within the millinery industry, I was able to really focus on developing my creativity, be experimental and develop my own signature style. For my final collection I took utilitarian headwear such as headscarves, hoodies and sou'westers and transformed them into windswept, sculptural pieces. This led to experiments with asymmetric pattern-cutting, and my own version of a traditional English icon, the flat cap - revisited with an asymmetric twist, which became known as the Windswept Cap.
GF: How did you get into millinery and hat making?
KH: I completed a degree in fashion and textiles in Birmingham in the '80s. It became clear at University that fashion design was not for me - but the details of fashion (stitching, embroidery) as well as the craft of cutting and putting together a garment fascinated me (and still does!). I already had an interest in headwear back then and designed hats in addition to the clothes for my final collection. Pretty soon after graduating I started working in millinery, working my way around some of the best millinery work rooms in London, this was in the 1990's. During this time I developed the technical know-how to craft high quality hats, mainly occasion hats for women.
In the early 2000's I attended the Royal College to do a millinery MA. With the making skills I had already developed within the millinery industry, I was able to really focus on developing my creativity, be experimental and develop my own signature style. For my final collection I took utilitarian headwear such as headscarves, hoodies and sou'westers and transformed them into windswept, sculptural pieces. This led to experiments with asymmetric pattern-cutting, and my own version of a traditional English icon, the flat cap - revisited with an asymmetric twist, which became known as the Windswept Cap.
The playful design ethos I developed for the Windswept collection was the foundation for my business, and is still at the heart of it today.
 |
| Karen Henriksen, Milliner |
GF: How would you describe the style of both your men's and women's hats?
KH: Distinctive hats with tailoring detail, classic styles revisited with a contemporary twist, in high quality fabrics.
Being made from fabric (rather than blocked in felt or straw) is a practical choice and means I can offer trilby styles for example that can be stored easily and are more user-friendly than felt hats. But I also love the glamour and sophistication often associated with classic hats of the 1920s to 1950s, and always try to bring that to my designs (back to the 'everyday elegance' concept - mixing practicality with style).
My hats are firmly on the slow fashion side, being quite timeless in design and made to be worn for a lifetime.
GF: Do you make all the hats yourself?
KH: Pretty much! I have a small team in my studio at Cockpit in central London, but it's quite a lean operation. Controlling the making process completely in-house means I can offer special styles and design variations for clients - crucially, I also offer a large selection of head sizes. I have clients from far and wide (Iceland, South Korea and the USA!) buying from me because they love hats but can't get hold of one that fits them just right.
This is also more environmentally friendly as every hat is made to order, and to size - so less waste is involved.
After nearly 20 years making hats under my own brand, I still get so much pleasure from the making process.
GF: Your men's hat shapes are different from the traditional styles - how do you arrive at a style for a hat during the design process?
KH: My design process is hands-on, working directly with pattern-cutting - it is very time consuming and quite instinctual! To arrive at a finished design I would usually make between 4 and 10 toiles (test pieces made from calico or another test fabric). Sometimes the design process starts from a client comment or request, other times it begins with an idea for a variation or a hybrid between two styles. This is how I end up with hybrids such as beret-caps, flat cap/baker-boy cap, visor-caps, and trilby/pork pie hats... The list goes on!
KH: Pretty much! I have a small team in my studio at Cockpit in central London, but it's quite a lean operation. Controlling the making process completely in-house means I can offer special styles and design variations for clients - crucially, I also offer a large selection of head sizes. I have clients from far and wide (Iceland, South Korea and the USA!) buying from me because they love hats but can't get hold of one that fits them just right.
This is also more environmentally friendly as every hat is made to order, and to size - so less waste is involved.
After nearly 20 years making hats under my own brand, I still get so much pleasure from the making process.
GF: Your men's hat shapes are different from the traditional styles - how do you arrive at a style for a hat during the design process?
KH: My design process is hands-on, working directly with pattern-cutting - it is very time consuming and quite instinctual! To arrive at a finished design I would usually make between 4 and 10 toiles (test pieces made from calico or another test fabric). Sometimes the design process starts from a client comment or request, other times it begins with an idea for a variation or a hybrid between two styles. This is how I end up with hybrids such as beret-caps, flat cap/baker-boy cap, visor-caps, and trilby/pork pie hats... The list goes on!
GF: Have you seen a change in the attitudes of men towards hat buying?
KH: I'd say that they have really embraced buying online and are confident in doing so. It has certainly been a huge learning curve for me, designing and making for men (not sure where I am on the curve - still very much learning!) Certainly, the men's side of my business has grown so much in the past few years - I'd say from around 10% about 10 years ago, to about 50% now.
KH: I'd say that they have really embraced buying online and are confident in doing so. It has certainly been a huge learning curve for me, designing and making for men (not sure where I am on the curve - still very much learning!) Certainly, the men's side of my business has grown so much in the past few years - I'd say from around 10% about 10 years ago, to about 50% now.
GF: How do you see the business developing over the next few years?
KH: I think the growth of the men's side is likely to continue - so much so that I may well wish to bring someone in to help me continue to develop this part of the business.
I'm also now embarking on a new strand of work, creating art for interiors. Initially, this is a range of sculptural lightshades, just launched at London Design Festival last month.
 |
| My Karen Henriksen caps showing the tailoring detail and asymmetric seams |
GF: Do you wear hats daily yourself? How would you describe your personal style?
KH: Yes, especially in the winter. And I always have a rain hat and a sun visor in my bag, ready for any eventuality!
KH: Yes, especially in the winter. And I always have a rain hat and a sun visor in my bag, ready for any eventuality!
When it comes to fashion I have a few favourites that are quite classic, mainly in black and khaki. Keeping it simple to highlight the hat, and/or maybe a statement necklace or ring. And I live in trainers (I walk everywhere!).
GF: Many thanks, Karen, both for the hats and for your thoughts above.
Contact:
KAREN HENRIKSEN
Designer/Maker
www.karenhenriksen.co.uk
kh_millinery
kh_mens_hats
kh_couture_home
Studio E2P, Cockpit Bloomsbury
Northington Street
London WC1N 2NP
+44 (0)7946 530442
Contact:
KAREN HENRIKSEN
Designer/Maker
www.karenhenriksen.co.uk
kh_millinery
kh_mens_hats
kh_couture_home
Studio E2P, Cockpit Bloomsbury
Northington Street
London WC1N 2NP
+44 (0)7946 530442
