Nothing pleases me more than witnessing someone with great talent being plucked from obscurity and given the recognition he/she so richly deserves. This is precisely what is happening to a very talented milliner who has been toiling away for years in a tiny studio in New York's Garment District, a well-kept secret for the likes of Marc Jacobs, Proenza-Schouler, Carolina Herrera and Thakoon.
South African-born, New York-based milliner Albertus Swanepoel was plucked from obscurity last July 2008 when he learned he was a finalist for the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award. Albertus went on to be named a 2008 runner-up for the award and most recently was named a finalist for another very prestigious award: The Swarovski Award for Accessory Design. Since then, his beautiful confections have been picked up by influential online fashion emporium Net-a-Porter.
Now, Albertus' reputation is growing on this side of the pond as well. British milliner Stephen Jones included one of his hats in Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones exhibit at London's Victoria and Albert Museum and most recently, the team at Paris Vogue have taken note of his tremendous talent. A detailed interview (in French) has just been posted on Vogue.fr. What a difference (not quite) a year makes!
Sincerely,
The Luxe Chronicles
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