Valeria Agostini

One of the first designers to enter The Shop was emerging London milliner Valeria Agostini. As you've already seen some of our favourite pieces by Valeria, now you get to know a little more about her! We first met when I visited her studio in near Hackney Downs in North London. 

One thing you can tell from Valeria Agostini's pieces is that she has a love for flare. This probably comes from the fact that she has been surrounded by theatrics from a very young age. Her father is a classical cellist and she herself is trained in ballet and has said she loved to see the audience in all of their glamour. 

Valeria went on to study Theatre Design at the London College of Fashion and graduated with a degree in Theatre Design from Wimbledon College of Art before going on to receive a Higher National Certificate in Millinery from Kensington and Chelsea College. Valeria gained invaluable experience working with milliners Piers Atkinson and Awon Golding as well as the millinery department of the English National Opera.

Her designs draw on her experience as a theatre designer and stage performer, creating feminine, elegant and glamorous hats that compliment the wearer and the occasion. Valeria knows how a hat once placed on the head can enhance or even transform the wearer. Her aim is to bring glamour back and instil a silent confidence in the wearer that is irresistible and empowering. Beyond her theatrical influence, Valeria also finds inspiration in Scandinavian mythology or German or Eastern European folklore.

All of Valeria’s hats are beautifully hand-made in her Atelier in London, using only materials of highest quality or great condition vintage pieces, paying greatest attention to detail and execution. She designs, steams, blocks, pleats, sews, shapes, constructs, dyes and paints with a passion. Her hats combine sophisticated trims and dramatic shapes to create sensational hats that are seductive and sophisticated.

Berlin-based artist and performer Lada Bonaveri Tvrtkovic was seen wearing a Valeria Agostini headpiece to a private party at the Venice Carneval and at a photoshoot in an Asylum.

Artist Tessa Kuragi who co-curated "A Beautiful Darkness", an exhibition by Nick Knight and SHOWstudio and sponsored by Veuve Clicquot wore Valeria's sculptural snake headpiece to the event .

Now that you've heard more about Valeria Agostini, don't forget to look at her collection in The Shop.