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SERIEN PERSPEKTIVWECHSEL • CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE

Arbeitsmotto • work motto M rs Wandelt, what made you take up designing hats how can your two
professions be combined?
I have been a fan of hats for a long time; I collected hats and always wore them as
„Handwerk und Handarbeit sind etwas Wunderbares!“ well. As a child, I learned how to sew from my mother who was a seamstress. At some
“Craft and manual work are something wonderful!” point, the manufacture and, above all, the actual designing of hats also interested me.
So I studied old textbooks on the work of milliners and cutting technique and devel-
oped the first cutting patterns for hats. I “absorbed” anything I could find on the sub-
ject of hats in antiquarian book stores or flea markets. Some of my tools, utensils and
materials as well are second-hand. In the beginning, I busied myself with hats in my
spare time. The living room became a workshop. Three years ago, and together with
fashion designer Heike Mueller from Saxony ducks, I opened a joint studio in the
Spinnerei in Leipzig. Today, there is a strict schedule as to when I work in the office
and when I work in the studio, to allow enough space for both professions.

r What is special about headgear of your Gela brand? And how much architecture
goes into it?
My hats are always based on a cutting pattern, in the best manner of milliners. Among
other things, I am interested in old techniques in combination with unusual, modern
materials, for instance the series with the cable ties, with Polyband ribbon for draping
or the variations of pleating for hats. It also appeals to me to play with the texture of
fabrics for a specific shape. No doubt, there is a lot of architecture in my hats. A girl-
friend, a costume designer, says that my hats look like they were “built”.

r A lot of manual work goes into designing hats. How are your designs developed
and which materials do you like best?
Geschichtsträchtiger Arbeitsplatz: die alte Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei • Workplace steeped in history Craft and manual work are something quite amazing. You have an idea for a hat,
sketch it on paper, develop the appropriate cutting pattern, assess it, make a sample,
try it out, alter it and then you manufacture the first model based on the new idea for
Atelier und Showroom: Hier fertigt und verkauft ... • Studio and showroom: Here Angela Wandelt makes ...
the hat. The choice of materials is important for a good hat. I have no special prefer-
ences. I use wool, cotton, velvet, silk, leather … But what always remains is the curios-
ity to try something. What is essential is the quality of the material. Otherwise one
does not enjoy processing the fabric and nothing good comes of it.

r What does designing hats mean to you? Is it a passion, a second mainstay, a
broadening of your horizon, or a somewhat quicker way of implementing designs
than this would be possible in architecture?
My passion for hats turned into a second profession. I enjoy the time in the studio. It
is up to me to realize an idea. This is a good experience. It is so different from a con-
struction site where you often need a lot of persuasiveness and motivational force to
make it clear to the participants that we are building a house together and not every-
one against everyone else. Enforcing notions of quality in construction also always
needs a lot of strength and energy.
Fotos: Angela Wandelt r Unlike in past centuries, today the hat as an everyday clothing accessory now

only plays a marginal role in fashion and society …
I regret very much that the hat is no longer a self-evident accessory. But hats are com-
ing back! Women and men are rediscovering that fashion can be used to show indi-
... Angela Wandelt ihre außergewöhnlichen Hut-Kreationen. • ... and sells her extraordinary hats.
viduality. Meanwhile, the dictate of uniformity by major fashion chains is considered
to be dull and boring. More and more customers are becoming aware of this and are
looking for what is special, what is of high quality. After cheap mass products, now
class is wanted again. The hat also plays a new role in this trend.

r Your hat creations are very striking. Wearing them requires self-confidence and
the wish to create a presence. Which is the clientele that wears Gela hats?
My customers are from between 20 and 80 years old. They consist of men and women.
In addition to extraordinary models, there is also headgear one can easily wear every
day. It is highly appreciated that I respond to individual wishes. The personalized hat
is manufactured specifically for the head circumference, of a material selected by the
customer or in the colour wanted. If requested, hat models are also made that match
the collections of my studio partner. Men love to have a scarf made that is coordinated
with a peaked cap or a hat.
Foto: Nick Putzmann r How do you see your future career: Do you intend to pursue both jobs and

expand them or eventually focus on one of them exclusively?
In the long run I tend towards millinery.

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