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2019 HATalk Hat Making Competition

2019 HATalk Competition Winners

The 2019 HATalk Hat Making Competition Winners

The theme of the 2019 HATalk Hat Making Competition was Equilibrium and the challenge was to create an original hat or headpiece based on this concept. The competition was open to anyone, anywhere in the world, and was completely free to enter. A fantastic selection of prizes, valuing approximately $4,500 USD, was at stake, as well as the honour of being included in the Official Exhibition of London Hat Week 2019 – World Garden – which will be held at the Menier Gallery from 3-12 April 2019.

After careful deliberation, our expert panel of judges chose the following hats as the First, Second, Third and Fourth Place Winners. The Public Prize winner was decided through an online vote.

First Place

Name of Maker
Stefania Belfiore

Country
Italy

Name of Hat
Equilart

Prize
Enrolment on a 1-Week Residential Millinery Workshop at Chateau Dumas.

Judges’ Comments
Incredibly well made with immaculate corner joints. The underside is as good as the topside. Technically, this is a very difficult design to create – it is hard to keep felt lines so straight. The beauty in the design is reminiscent of an Adele List piece – simple with a very nice finish, clean and balanced. Taking inspiration from Piet Mondrain was a creative way to interpret the equilibrium theme.

View entry HERE.

Second Place

Name of Maker
Laura Del Villaggio

Country
United States of America

Name of Hat
Belinda

Prize
£250 (GBP) Guy Morse-Brown Hat Blocks voucher, £250 (GBP) Parkin Fabrics voucher and a selection of handmade fabric flowers from M&S Schmalberg.

Judges’ Comments
Superb design and finish. Incredible feather mounting and detail work went into making this headpiece. It is beautifully made with difficult fabrics, including sparterie, and offers an interesting twist on a vintage style.

View entry HERE.

Third Place

Name of Maker
Deborah Marrison-Wood

Country
United Kingdom

Name of Hat
On the Edge

Prize
£150 (GBP) voucher for The Trimming Company, a selection of quality hat making materials from Torb & Reiner and a £25 How2hats voucher.

Judges’ Comments
Very well made and an interesting use of an on-trend shape within the theme. Superb blocking work and a very good finish. The seams are all fully exposed and are extremely neat.

View entry HERE.

Fourth Place

Name of Maker
Amanda Smith

Country
Australia

Name of Hat
Ying Yang

Prize
$200 (AUD) Lily M Millinery Supplies voucher and a selection of hat making materials from Atelier Millinery.

Judges’ Comments
Amazing and effective embroidery work which adds movement and contrast to a classic hat shape. Thoughtful interpretation of the theme.

View entry HERE.

Public Prize

Name of Maker
Anna Utko

Country
Poland

Name of Hat
The animal from within

Prize
300€ Plooij Hats and Materials voucher and a 1-year HATalk Subscription.

This headpiece received 2,067 online votes to win the Public Prize.

View entry HERE.

Special Mentions

The judges were thoroughly impressed with the quality of this year’s submissions and had a very hard time choosing the final winners.

“What a wonderful, incredible, creative joy to have a chance to look so deeply into this very international world of hat making!,” they said. “We all enjoyed seeing the amazing craftsmanship and imagination involved in making these unique hats and headpieces. There were so many great entries that narrowing it down to just four winners was an extremely difficult task. Everyone should be very proud of their submissions and we were especially impressed with all of the creative and thoughtful interpretations of the Equilibrium theme.”

The judges would also like to specially commend the following entries, which were shortlisted for their worksmanship, originality and interpretation of the competition theme:

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2019 HATalk Hat Making Competition

2019 HATalk Competition Winners

The 2019 HATalk Hat Making Competition Winners

The theme of the 2019 HATalk Hat Making Competition was Equilibrium and the challenge was to create an original hat or headpiece based on this concept. The competition was open to anyone, anywhere in the world, and was completely free to enter. A fantastic selection of prizes, valuing approximately $4,500 USD, was at stake, as well as the honour of being included in the Official Exhibition of London Hat Week 2019 – World Garden – which will be held at the Menier Gallery from 3-12 April 2019.

After careful deliberation, our expert panel of judges chose the following hats as the First, Second, Third and Fourth Place Winners. The Public Prize winner was decided through an online vote.

First Place

Name of Maker
Stefania Belfiore

Country
Italy

Name of Hat
Equilart

Prize
Enrolment on a 1-Week Residential Millinery Workshop at Chateau Dumas.

Judges’ Comments
Incredibly well made with immaculate corner joints. The underside is as good as the topside. Technically, this is a very difficult design to create – it is hard to keep felt lines so straight. The beauty in the design is reminiscent of an Adele List piece – simple with a very nice finish, clean and balanced. Taking inspiration from Piet Mondrain was a creative way to interpret the equilibrium theme.

View entry HERE.

Second Place

Name of Maker
Laura Del Villaggio

Country
United States of America

Name of Hat
Belinda

Prize
£250 (GBP) Guy Morse-Brown Hat Blocks voucher, £250 (GBP) Parkin Fabrics voucher and a selection of handmade fabric flowers from M&S Schmalberg.

Judges’ Comments
Superb design and finish. Incredible feather mounting and detail work went into making this headpiece. It is beautifully made with difficult fabrics, including sparterie, and offers an interesting twist on a vintage style.

View entry HERE.

Third Place

Name of Maker
Deborah Marrison-Wood

Country
United Kingdom

Name of Hat
On the Edge

Prize
£150 (GBP) voucher for The Trimming Company, a selection of quality hat making materials from Torb & Reiner and a £25 How2hats voucher.

Judges’ Comments
Very well made and an interesting use of an on-trend shape within the theme. Superb blocking work and a very good finish. The seams are all fully exposed and are extremely neat.

View entry HERE.

Fourth Place

Name of Maker
Amanda Smith

Country
Australia

Name of Hat
Ying Yang

Prize
$200 (AUD) Lily M Millinery Supplies voucher and a selection of hat making materials from Atelier Millinery.

Judges’ Comments
Amazing and effective embroidery work which adds movement and contrast to a classic hat shape. Thoughtful interpretation of the theme.

View entry HERE.

Public Prize

Name of Maker
Anna Utko

Country
Poland

Name of Hat
The animal from within

Prize
300€ Plooij Hats and Materials voucher and a 1-year HATalk Subscription.

This headpiece received 2,067 online votes to win the Public Prize.

View entry HERE.

Special Mentions

The judges were thoroughly impressed with the quality of this year’s submissions and had a very hard time choosing the final winners.

“What a wonderful, incredible, creative joy to have a chance to look so deeply into this very international world of hat making!,” they said. “We all enjoyed seeing the amazing craftsmanship and imagination involved in making these unique hats and headpieces. There were so many great entries that narrowing it down to just four winners was an extremely difficult task. Everyone should be very proud of their submissions and we were especially impressed with all of the creative and thoughtful interpretations of the Equilibrium theme.”

The judges would also like to specially commend the following entries, which were shortlisted for their worksmanship, originality and interpretation of the competition theme:

Popular Articles

Latest e-Magazine

Featured Supplier

Guy Morse-Brown Hat Blocks

Join Our Mailing List

Sign up for our mailing list to stay up to date on the latest news from around the world of hat making.

Enjoy HATalk

Unlimited Access to Hat Making Projects, Monthly e-Magazines and More

$4.99 / month with a 14-day free trial

Enjoy HATalk

Unlimited Access to Hat Making Projects, Monthly e-Magazines and More

$4.99 / month with a 14-day free trial

This Month’s HATalk Give Away

Win a Ballesté Poupeé

This Month’s HATalk Give Away

Win a Ballesté Poupeé