Amina Hood
How did you become a hat lover?
I owe my love of hats to my grandmother Lois, who is my inspiration. Spending time with Lois was always an education in fabulousness. I would play for hours in her closet with her pillbox hat collection that she had worn in the 60s. She was my first style muse. I always think of her wearing her red leather pants, bold jewelry, and a striking hat.
Ever since I can remember, I have loved fashion. Not only did I love fashion from an early age, but I even had entrepreneurial aspirations. At the age of eight, I launched an “imaginary” fashion company named Petals. I designed the clothes and would have fashion shows with all the kids in the neighborhood. There are even some commercials memorialized out there somewhere on Betamax.
Describe your creative process, from start to finish. Any challenges along the way?
My creative process is very organic, sometimes fussy, but it always comes together. It's not a streamlined formula. I take inspirational snippets from everything around me and file them away in my head for later. I chose the futuristic theme to start a conversation about our environment with my hat for the Xterrace London Hat Week exhibit. I remembered the Fly's Eye Dome exhibit at Crystal Bridges Art Museum, and I had been looking at these moss walls on Instagram by a local maker The Fat Plant Society. In a flash, the idea came together to marry the two concepts. I created a utilitarian helmet for the future, designed with living moss that works to absorb CO2 from the earth's atmosphere.
As for challenges, each design has its own unique obstacles and happy surprises.
The helmet collaboration with Randal Alan is amazing, how did you meet?
Thank you! First off, I'd like to say that Randall Alan is incredible. I could have never done this project without his 3D wizardry and his help guiding me through this new design process. I saw him on Instagram, quite a bit before this project and was very intrigued about what he was doing in the hat industry. We met up in Brooklyn and talked for hours about hats and the possibilities of 3D technology. I knew after that, at some point, we would work on something crazy together.
What projects are you currently working on?
For the past year, I have been working on building my commercial line. Additionally, I am very excited about a current project that will expand my brand awareness in 2021.
What made you want to pursue hat making?
Hat-making came to me by happy accident. I had a friend ask me to make her a top hat for Burning Man. At this point, I had only been playing around refashioning hats. I reluctantly agreed, but to my surprise, I fell in love with the art of millinery from the start.
What themes are you exploring in your works?
I tend to go through stages as that is fun, and I don't find myself getting boxed into a particular style. My constant themes are clean and organic. Right now, I am exploring Americana and researching the great western frontier.
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