by Irene van Vugt (Netherlands) Intrigued by the femininity and elegance of bygone days, Dutch milliner Irene van Vugt takes inspiration from the 1940s and ‘50s for her designs. Besides designing collections, Irene gives workshops in hat and bag making in her studio in Utrecht, in addition to a full training in millinery. She also teaches hat making to college students on a creative craftsmanship course. In this workroom technique, she combines two of her specialisations: 3D design and working with leather.
‘’For this hat, I used a leather stitching machine for stitching the strips. This is not strictly necessary, as a regular sewing machine would also do the job.”