Following his graduation from the Saint Martins School of Art in 1979, Stephen Jones gained initial reputation for his work in the music industry through his collaborations with Boy George, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. Today, with numerous collaborations with some of the world’s top designers, he is considered one of the most radical and important milliners of the century. In the last 30 years, Stephen Jones not only pushed the boundaries of our imagination through his designs but also reminded the world that the hat is never out of fashion and a valuable accessory that adds the appropriate punctuation to an outfit.
Here are his As to our Qs!
When are you happiest?
Sketching a hat.
What motivates you?
The possibility of creation.
Which city or cities are centers of creativity and inspiration for you?
London of course but also Florence and Los Angeles..and Istanbul!
For you, what does Istanbul stand for?
The unexpected, and hugely sophisticated.
What do you think about the city (cities) you live in ?
London is muti cultural and very tolerant, it’s like a crossroads . Paris is really the flower of the feminine arts.
Which era would you have preferred to live in?
I love living now.
What’s your current source of inspiration?
The western artists colonies of St Ives, Goa, and Laguna beach.
Your most memorable journey?
Around the world first class in 1984.
Your favorite place to visit to get ideas?
My sofa on a Sunday morning.
Your most cherished possession?
My passport.
How would you describe your world in 3 words?
Transient, exciting crazy.
Key moment in your life?
First cover of a magazine, working in Paris, Order of the British Empire from the Queen, Lifetime achievement award from the British fashion Council.
Favorite recent discovery?
My IPad.
Favorite Milliner of all times?
Schiaparelli.
How will you be remembered?
He came, he saw, he made a hat…
What can’t you live without?
Gin.
If you could pick one person living or dead to wear one of your hats, who would it be?
Michelle Obama.
Names of people whom you think revolutionized the design world?
Dior, Terence Conran, Oscar Niemeyer.
What is the most extravagant hat you ever designed?
Dior HC always.
What is the trait you most deplore about yourself?
Into really into self hate… It a negative waste of time, but sometimes I am naive and too trusting.
What’s your motto?
Don’t look before you leap.
How do you work when you produce – what comes first the thought or the action?
Many thoughts.
What would you title your autobiography?
Head in the clouds.
What was the first hat you ever made?
A turquoise blue pillbox trimmed with a plastic carnation.
Is there a creative activity that you want to pursue that you have been postponing? What is it?
Relaxation!
If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?
House-husband!
If your creative works had an odor, what do you think they would smell like?
Violets, like my fragrance with Comme des Garçons.