009 Stephen Jones

There are some people who work in fashion that you could just listen to for hours. Their knowledge about the industry, both institutional and anecdotal make them treasured sources of information and education. And if there is one person working in fashion today who does this, pretty much better than anyone else its Stephen Jones.

Stephen has been a milliner for 40 years and during that time he has become the go to hat maker for…well…just about everyone. From fashion designers and celebrities to rockstars and royalty, Stephen has created the finishing touch for thousands and thousands of outfits. Clients include everyone from Boy George, Mick Jagger and Madonna, to Beyoncé, Victoria Beckham and Rihanna. Not to mention all the royals who have donned one of his designs including Diana, Princess of Wales.

But it is via his numerous collaboration with fashion designers that Stephen has been able to let his creative imagination really run wild. The hats he crafted for John Galliano during his Dior years, the headgear he has created for Thom Browne and headpieces he has concocted for Rei Kawakubo to complete her Comme des Garçons collections are the stuff of legends. They are often gravity defying designs that are objet d’art in their own right.

Stephen’s talents have been recognized by Her Royal Highness, Queen Elisabeth II. She bestowed on him an OBE for his services to fashion, and his work has been the subject of fashion exhibitions around the world.

But as extraordinary as all his hats are, Stephen himself has a very distinctive look. Yes he is always dapperly dressed, but it’s his balled head, which he started shaving back in the 1980s, that makes him instantly recognizable in a fashion crowd. Stephen decided to make this dramatic choice when he discovered that his head was the perfect stock size, which instantly made it easy to test out all of his hats…on himself.

Getting to chat with Stephen about his life’s work as a milliner was such a treat for me. And I know you will be tipping your hat to him too by the end of this podcast.