During a zoom call with Lauren Ritchie when she was researching her article on “The Headwear Style of Amber Butchart” for Hatlines magazine we were talking not only about turbans for fashionistas but turbans and other headwraps for ladies suffering hairloss due to chemotherapy treatment or other medical hairloss issues. As she is passionate about all things millinery she found the concept of ladies needing to wear hats quite fascinating & thought an article about me and my business would make interesting reading. The cover of this Autumn’s Hatlines Magazine features one of her own pieces which is a stunning red tulle & lame hat and on page 26 features an interview with me about Chemo Headwear.
Here’s a short extract:
..From these first pieces Claire worked to create a range of pretty and luxurious pieces in a range of fabrications. She selects from her existing fabric stash and sources designer deadstock fabric as well as ordering her favourite Liberty of London print fabrics for particular styles. The pieces are made from the finest quality cotton, silk, cashmere and bamboo in both woven & jersey fabrics. The fabrication needs to be lightweight for comfort and so they do not look out of place when worn indoors. The cotton ready-tied head scarf style is most popular because they are comfortable to wear and easy to launder but the stretchy jersey beanies & turbans are more casual and now outselling the more traditional headscarf look.
On the design Claire explains, “I wanted them to be very quick and easy to put on, if you are going through chemo even getting out of bed to make a cup of tea can be a marathon, it was about being able to put something on quickly rather than have to learn to tie big square scarves that are difficult to tie and can move.”
All of the pieces are made by Claire from her home studio in West Sussex and she manages all aspects of the business herself. She drafts and grades the pattern pieces and ships across the globe but finds most of her clients are based in the United Kingdom.
The styles are named after the woman who inspired them including her first client Lucy, fashion historian Amber Butchart and the visor style named after Eliza who was looking for a piece she could wear while lounging by the pool on a holiday…
To read the rest of the interview it is in issue 75/2021 Autumn Hatlines Magazine