Slow Chapeaux is a recently founded business that creates hats out of upcycled materials. Athens County Public Library (ACPL) has featured an exhibit, “Cloche to You,” displaying some of the hats for the entire month of September.
The women behind Slow Chapeaux, Jan Spring and Kate Kelley, make their hats by upcycling, which is the process of taking material originally used for one piece of clothing and making it into something new. The hats are made of a variety of fabrics such as suede, cashmere and velvet. Most are a mixture of different fabrics. They believe in slow fashion, in which high-quality clothing materials can be worn for years and stay intact.
Spring and Kelley are self-taught hat makers who began their business vision in January 2019, but did not officially start selling hats until recently.
The business’s name, “Slow Chapeaux,” comes from the fact that Spring and Kelley are supporters of slow fashion, rather than fast fashion. Fast fashion is the idea that clothes go out of style and are thrown into the trash once labeled outdated. Kelley said 85% of textiles used in fast fashion are thrown away.
“Slow fashion is embracing things that are quality made, not cheaply made,” Spring said. “It’s not following a trend. That's how throwaway culture in fast fashion was designed.”
Most of the materials are thrifted, and some are from clothing Spring or Kelley owned themselves. Every material is cleaned as soon as they take it home. Both women pride themselves on the idea that every hat has a story.
“For example, this one was a thrifted buttoned-down top,” Kelley said. “I really love the fabric. I love paisley. I think it's happy and joyful. And the lining is cashmere, from a Brooks Brothers cashmere sweater. It's both a women’s shirt and a men’s sweater that have taken on a new life.”
Spring said she and Kelley had the most fun while shopping for materials together at Athens MakerSpace, and that she is thrilled it is opening back up after going bankrupt amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Spring and Kelley use several types of materials with a variety of patterns, including vintage patterns tracing back to the 30s and 40s.
“We’ve developed a unique friendship where our brains mix,” Spring said. “We have different tastes. I’m more frilly, girly and romantic, and Kelley’s just not that way at all.”
Spring and Kelley said that during the creative process of their business, they push each other to take risks and try things they would not be comfortable doing alone. They are upfront with each other when they disagree on a vision, but for the most part, they encourage one another.
“We both have a very direct interest in how the fabric feels,” Kelley said. “We want it to feel soft, luxurious if possible, and just something you’ll enjoy being against the skin. Our hats aren’t cheaply made.”
Todd Bastin, ACPL’s art coordinator, is in charge of making exhibits like Cloche to You happen. The library holds art and craft exhibits every month, which typically last the entire month, and there are often multiple happening at once. Spring and Kelley expressed their gratefulness to Bastin for helping creatives such as themselves display their artwork in a public place.
“Cloche to You includes such an incredible variety,” Bastin said. “You’d think you’d gone to a store that deals with hats. Some of them are made of very vintage fabrics you don’t come across anymore.”
The hats on display at ACPL mostly consist of styles that women prefer, but Slow Chapeaux is planning a men’s line as well.
“I really admire what they’re doing,” Bastin said. “They are creating hats for people who want to express themselves as individuals.”
The hats on display are available for sale. ACPL is following COVID-19 safety guidelines by requiring that all patrons wear masks, as well as providing shields and distance between different sections of the building. Bastin said many people are not aware that the library is open in the midst of the pandemic, so not many people have had the chance to see its displays such as Cloche to You.
“We’ve had art shows by college students in the past so it's not just people who are permanent residents,” Bastin said. “We are continuing this during the pandemic. It keeps people’s morale up when they have art to see when they come in.”
Spring and Kelley said it is very important for people to find a creative outlet in support of their mental health, like their passion for making hats in their free time.
“We both have busy lives,” Spring said. “It’s good for our mental health. The creativity is not just good for our brains, it's good for our hearts.”
