next post previous post

London's HATWALK project has been commissioned by the Mayor of London in partnership with BT, Grazia, The British Fashion Council and the London 2012 Festival.

This event has been a year in the making and is curated by the world renowned British milliners, Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy - bringing together 21 emerging and established designers, to show British millinery at its finest. The event culminated in Trafalgar Square on 30th July and saw some of London's most iconic statues in their splendour, with the addition of brand new bespoke hats.

A "hatwalk" trail has been formed, from the Angel of Peace on top the Wellington Arch near Hyde Park in the west of the city, to the Duke of Wellington outside the Bank of England in the Square Mile. This trail features twenty adorned statues altogether including; Lord Nelson and George the IV in Trafalgar Square Roosevelt and Churchill in Bond Street, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Robert Burns on the Embankment, William Shakespeare in Leicester Square and Beau Brummell in Jermyn Street.

The company providing the hat for Nelson is Lock & Co - the oldest hatters in London, established in 1676 and renowned for making Nelson's original bicorn hat. Lock & Co has now created an updated version of Nelson's bicorn hat, complete with Olympic torch to celebrate the event.

When the display has finished, all hats will be auctioned off to raise money for the Mayor's Fund for good causes.

HATWALK is part of 'Surprises' - an event organised by The Mayor of London that includes cultural events and activities across London, to add to the excitement of the games - where pop-up performances and once in a lifetime experiences spring up at locations across London throughout this summer.

Images courtesy of MOL 

share