Vancouver Fashion eZine - Online Magazine | Hat Designer

Hat hair is one of the many ghastly side effects caused by wearing hats. Next on the list are ill-fitting, unflattering styles.

There is hope. Claudia Schulz, an eclectic hat designer from Germany, makes 1920s, cloche-inspired hats. A simple peruse through her website - www.claudiaschulz.com - and a smorgasbord of rich colour warmly greets you.

The helmet-shaped hats are made from felt fabric and fitted to nuzzle the head, only revealing bits of the wearer's eyes. Each hat is made with simple lines and topped off with a one-of-a-kind buckle.

Claudia's voice is peppered with a soft German accent, which is both equally inviting and charming. When she speaks, it is clear her hunger lies in hat making. She took a couple of hat making classes four years ago taught by a woman in New Westminster, and her fondness for hats turned into her career.

At her store, Mooncruise Gallery located in Gastown, every customer who walks in and tries on one of her hats will be treated to something truly special. Claudia carefully crafts each hat on her own with her skilled hands. Depending on time, Claudia can complete around two hats every week. A hat usually takes about three to four hours to finish.

The overall look is the real challenge in hat making. Claudia confesses that she never knows how each hat will end up looking.

"It's hard to say: I try the hats on myself to see how they look. Sometimes the hats might not look good on me," says Claudia. "So when a customer comes in and tries one on, I get to see what actually works."

Her quiet observations allow Claudia to make mental notes for future designs and hopefully appeal to a wider market.

Claudia notices that the types of people who come in to her store are true hat lovers. However, every now and then she will get the occasional non-hat lover who simply becomes captivated by her hats.

The creation of Mooncruise Gallery started with her husband's own online photography magazine called mooncruise.com. It has now expanded to combine Claudia's creative hats and many other goodies from around the world to give the store that gallery ambiance.

Hopefully in the next few years, Claudia's name will become synonymous with hats. She most certainly has that international appeal, which has already caught the attention of several buyers. Claudia has been approached to sell her hats in Poland and Chicago, but like everything else, time is a pressing matter.

For more information on Claudia Schulz and her hat designs, please visit www.claudiaschulz.com or www.mooncruisegallery.com.