I absolutely love the feeling of being under the glistening Sun. From sunrise to sunset, the Sun naturally raises our vibration and lifts many people’s moods. A healthy dose of vitamin D always helps too. I was fortunate to be in Mauritius during the early stages of making this hat. Observing the beautiful colours from the sunset whilst sitting on a gorgeous beach – Total blissful happiness. Wanting to capture an essence, the ambiance of the sun’s warm radiant vibe, Radiance hat became more alive. The first stage for my design process was to compile pictures of the Sun, taking mental notes of the textures and tones I was aiming for. I then started to source the materials and combined items to see if they worked well together. I blocked different tones of sinamay for a gradient appearance. Once the hat was taken off the block, I covered the button shape with a glitzy sequin fabric and heavily embellished with selected beads that enhanced the glistening feel. I later applied three different shades of crinoline and manipulated in a way that gave a subtle flare like sun rays at the base of the hat. Lastly, I attached a hot red feather, like a fire flare from the burning Sun. I finished the hat with traditional techniques applying Petersham ribbon and hand stitched silk habotai lining.

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