Hats by Issis Starlust: Mourning Among Antique Souls

Hats by Issis Starlust may be one of the more recent independent brands to be born into Lolita and Goth fashion, but its designer and creator, Issis Starlust, is a wise, powerful and restless woman who has proven her worth as a human being in numerous occasions and who's been around the alternative cultures for quite a while now.

For all the years that I have known the fabulous Issis Starlust, she has been the type of person who has never stopped to amaze me. Always a kind and emphatic soul, we have known each other for almost 20 years and even in the distance of space and time, our friendship has always remained.

We met in the roots of Lolita Fashion in Spain among other fantastic creatures that you are going to read about in this interview, all of them considered part of our sisterhood by both of us.

Issis Starlust, the mastermind behind the brand

Born in blazing Jaén, Issis has always been a lively person, full of curiosity and a desire to learn. A great lover and expert in art, her creations are full of this mystical, dark and artistic style full of passion for the dark side.

                I invite you to immerse yourselves with us in the dark world of Issis Starlust.

 

 

 ♥ Could you describe for us in your own wrords what is Hats by Issis Starlust about?

I like to think of Hats by Issis Sarlust as a project in which I turn the inspiration I gather from my work as an art historian, researching, cataloguing and analyzing images every day. Photographs, books and illustrated magazines (my speciality), cinema, paintings ... All of this brings me great intellectual satisfaction, but inevitably has a great influence on my personal style and the pieces I make. It is the way to channel all that information and feelings caused by my object of study, in a different way than my work requires me through articles, university classes or conferences. I needed to do something again that did not involve spending hours and hours in front of a computer writing, and this project turned out to be very therapeutic in that sense. 

Hats by Issis Starlust is a modest and full of illusion project, made with love to offer a piece of this humble dreamer to those who want it. I'm really influenced by Nineteenth-century literature, brave and atypical women in history, vampires, adventurers, romantic anachronism, surprising curiosities, mystery stories, abandoned places, enchanted forests, unusual or sinister details in the apparent normality, sweetness and darkness ... 

♥ Your creations, while not directly associated with Lolita fashion, do have a romantic and dark atmosphere to complement it. At what point were you interested in Lolita fashion? How does it arise?  

My first contact with Lolita culture was through Minami magazine, which was a Spanish manga and anime magazine that included articles about movies, Japanese culture and music. It was in 1999, I was 12 years old and I remember that the price was still in pesetas/euros. That number featured CLAMP's Cardcaptor Sakura and the presentation of Kodomo no Omocha, which was to be released in Spain that same year. My knowledge of Japanese culture was minimum at that time, except for certain movies and mangas, since I was always passionate about comics. In that issue, there was an article about Malice Mizer. This magazine always came with a CD that contained a lot of extra material: videos, music, images, mini-games, etc. It was when I accessed the content of the CD that my brain exploded while watching the videos of Au revoir, Madrigal and Gekka no yasoukyoku. What was that? On a musical level they didn't tell me that much, but the aesthetics! In the music section of the CD, I found the jewel within the crown, Illuminati, the song that has always been my favourite from Malice Mizer. Perhaps without that song, I would not have had such an interest in investigating what it was all about. 

I started to gather photos from Malice Mizer, especially from Mana, and at the same time, I came across other references that are fundamental to me, like Siouxsie and other gothic bands who created amazing music and look fabulous with their magnificent looks. In addition to this, I discovered the Kisekae games, a digital version of the paper cut-out dolls. Surprisingly, many gothic and gothic lolita aesthetics appeared in here, making me fantasize about having something so pretty in my closet. Since I was penniless, I customized a lot of clothes and even sewed some garments.

Later on, I made contact through goth music forums with people from Spain who were also interested in Gothic Lolita Fashion, until the creation of one of the first Lolita forums in Spain, Oscura Inocencia, where we finally had a place of our own. In September 2005 they organized the first Gothic Lolita meeting in Madrid, in which I met in person some of the most important friends in my life, who are still essential. For me, that date is the starting point, despite knowing of Lolita from an earlier time. It was the first time that I wore such an elaborate and conscientiously coordinated, we started something together that we didn't even imagine how big it would be!

♥ With such a long time into the Lolita fashion, at what point did the idea of ​​creating your own brand arise?  

I've been an active consumer and a tireless promoter of indie lolita brands for a while now since it's the type of designs and commerce that I have felt most comfortable with and related to. Both as a consumer and organizing events with Amor Baroco, I've always looked towards the independent sector. Maybe the big brands are no longer so attractive to me or I have simply been educating my way of consuming, but the fact is that my wardrobe is quite full of indie, vintage and second-hand garments.

That said, the project started quite unconsciously. On the one hand, I am allergic to the sun and on the other, I have a large collection of hats, but the truth is that I did not have an appropriate hat for the terrible sunny days in Spain. No matter how hard I was looking, I could not find one that fitted 100% to my wishes. I love black, but the black hats I owned were winter hats and therefore, not useful for what I wanted, so it was then that I decided to do it myself.

When photographing myself with the hat, several people through Instagram asked me about it and there was even somebody who wanted to purchase it, so I considered launching a small commission on hats. Little by little the small project grew moderately, I work slowly and I do it by hand, but I decided to open my own profile for it in social media and an online store so that everything was more convenient, thanks to the advice of my dear friend Merkades, who's been a great supporter and my first client.

Issis and Merkades, founders of Amor Barroco

♥ The type of craft that you do is quite specialized... Where and how did you learn to weave straw and create hats? Did you receive any kind of training for it?  

Back home, textiles have always had great value and importance: my father has always been a representative of textile manufacturers' houses, and my grandmother, my mother or my brother have been great teachers. When I studied Fine Arts my goal was to direct my career to textile design, so I tried to guider almost all the proposals they made us and the assignments of the subjects to this, especially in the subjects of volume and design, where I worked with different supports and fabrics, doing everything from installations to puppets. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about materials, but then I was a very scattered person who just wanted to travel and daydream.

Soon after I left everything aside to live independently and I moved from Jaén to Granada. There I had to find my life in the midpoint of a crisis, so among other things, I began to design and make many things by hand: bags, home-made silk-screen patches, brooches, shirts, skirts, etc. Many of these pieces were sold at a joint stand that Armand Entreri put up in the many comic conventions that took place in the city. They were mostly punk lolita, gothic lolita or classic lolita style pieces; sometimes I was encouraged to make pieces with straw, some bags, although we carried a very varied material. Also, near my house at that time, there was a group of seamstresses who met to give each other advice and sew together, so I learned a lot from them. 

Basically, everything has been adding up, plus I also believe that curiosity and personal initiative are essential to discover new ways of creating, experimenting and improving.

♥  Where do you find the inspiration to create your pieces?  

Mainly from my work as an Art Historian, although I must also confess that since I was little I have a great collection of period and fantasy films and series. From all the adaptations of Jane Austen to The Tales of Shelley Duvall. Classic cinema has also been a great influence. 

I work mainly with images of any kind and I like to absorb what I find interesting and play with it. It doesn't necessarily have to be "vintage." In fact, I've work on a collaboration with a designer that has nothing to do with this type of aesthetic or with the lolita, but tends more towards a fetish aesthetic. I like to experiment and learn something new with each project.

Photo by Abel Silva

♥ Could you describe for us how is the process of creating your pieces? From the initial sketch to the final result, how do you design your hats and headdresses?

Sometimes I first compare materials, I put them in common and I let myself be carried away by the feelings that colours and textures spark in me. I fall in love with lace or flowers and find out how they could best fit into a design. Other times I have very specific ideas of how I want a piece to be and I draw it, I write down a possible list of materials with which the design could look good, etc. For example, there are a couple of very gothic and mourning new models that I have come up with but that for now are only in my head and on paper.

Normally there is a test of materials, the preparation of them (some are hand-dyed, aged, restored or modified in some way, depending on what it is) and previous assembly of the piece to check that everything goes well. I like to verify that it is a well-built, comfortable and safe piece. I like to sew the pieces calmly and sometimes it comes up to make some final additions with some pretty rhinestones or a lace that I had not planned to be in the final piece. I usually do it with documentaries or films in the background, as my grandmother used to do while she knitted scarves and booties for us in winter.

♥ Talking about materials, most of the times they're pretty special... How do you select your supplies?

I usually choose to go to haberdashery near my home/workshop. I believe that the small business is essential and those classic old haberdasheries are a huge source of knowledge and inspiration. The one closest to me is run by a couple of elderly ladies who not only take care of each product they sell but have also created a sewing collective and carry out all kinds of activities. It is not only a place to acquire materials but also for learning. When I travel to Jaén, my hometown, I like to visit La Verdadera, a haberdashery dating from 1934 that I went to when I was little with my mother. It is always a pleasure to continue buying stocks on such sites. Also sometimes I include a piece of vintage jewellery or ornament, which you usually find in street markets. The idea is that each piece has something special, details and its own character.

For the straw, I work with a reliable supplier. Throughout this project, I have tried different suppliers in this sense since it is a delicate material and communication with them is essential to work the moulds well and that the final product fits the design. Sometimes I have had to learn from mistakes or be disappointed, but I imagine that something similar happens to many designers with companies that manufacture prints or provide them with fabrics. I wanted the straw to come from the south of Spain, from Andalusia, whose small industry often suffers many hardships and is scarce compared to the rest of Spain. There it's very common to use this type of hats and materials (also esparto, which my grandfather worked a lot) since it is extremely hot and the sun is an enemy for the skin. Finally, I got in touch with a small family factory and I understand very well with them, we called each other and sent each other emails to comment on any details and explain what my needs are. The treatment is familiar and gives me a lot of security.

Regarding natural flowers, this is my favourite part. I like to go on day trips to the countryside or to secluded places with gardens and to collect. I carry the appropriate scissors in my bag and I select and collect twigs. Once at home I clean them, classify them and prepare them to hang and dry them properly. It is important to control humidity and light for this, something I have learned through trial and error. Other times, if I'm looking for a very specific flower or plant that I don't have access to, I go to a nearby florist.

♥ So far I have been asking all my interviewees about sustainable practices, as it is something that I find quite important nowadays. In what way do you consider Hats by Issis Starlust a sustainable brand?

I think so, although all brands can improve in every way and of course mine as well. Hats by Issis Starlust is a small project with no claim of becoming a big company and hoarding huge amounts of money. I neither want nor can I afford it for reasons of time and the demands of my profession. It is a project made with the heart, a continuous learning process and a place to develop part of my creativity. This is why I try to use nearby suppliers, not overwhelm myself in rushing to make the pieces, invest in beautiful and quality materials, collaborate with colleagues from whom I learn a lot, work on mutual support among small creators, listen to clients and take their needs into account. , try to have good communication...

I also make sure that the pieces are comfortable, timeless and wearable. These are hats that you could wear at any time, giving an elegant touch to a casual outfit or dramatizing a good party outfit. I've always had a very theatrical character, and I like to think of these pieces as that special touch that makes everything not "so simple" and bland. I also like to imagine that there is a certain drama or romanticism in each crown and hat, I think it is necessary to include some fantasy in our daily lives. This can be a nice blouse, a special jewel, perfume and why not? A hat. With a view to that, I try to make them easy to put on and comfortable to wear.    

And finally, as I explained in the previous question, I work with small suppliers and do most of the things by hand, so the work labour is mostly me and I keep everything within the local business. 

♥ You've created a variety of hats and crowns that always look amazing, even bonnets... What has been your favourite creation or project so far?

It's hard to choose a favourite piece since all of them are special to me... I think the Vampire Summer Grand Pamela is the one I use the most (and it saves my life from the sun and allergies). I also have a special affection for the Dramatic Widow Grand Pamela, I love making black on black details and making it so festive and at the same time so easy to wear.

I also have a weakness for hats with preserved flowers, such as the Wilde Hat or the special hat that Kelsey (dear friend and designer of I do declare) commissioned me, made with natural flowers and velvet. These pieces really smell great, it's an indefinable nature scent. I love everything related to folk and witch aesthetics, and these pieces have certain reminiscences of it.

Finally, I think the Liberty Bonnet has been one of the great challenges of this season. By making this piece I have learned a lot and it will be available again in the future. I really wanted to make bonnets different from those usually seen in lolita, something different and simpler in terms of size and shape.

On the other hand, collaborations and photo shoots have been a wonderful thing. For me, they are a creation in itself that is also part of the brand, a way of staging some of the images that come to mind when I create the pieces. Indrolita has been and is a great battle companion as well as a good friend, she has a noble and generous heart and I learn a lot when we work together. The sessions we did, together with Andrea, Merkades and Ana, were a dream come true. I'm really looking forward to planning another one, I love this “little community” that we have created around these sessions.

I also love to see how Abel Silva, a great friend and photographer, contextualized in a different way my pieces with nudes that border on the fantastic and the nymphomaniac or give a twist to more classic ideas so that they turn to a more sinister place. Our collaborations go back many years and it is always a pleasure to have his eye and his great cultural background. When we put our ideas on the table we connect right away and that is very stimulating.

Albert Victoria

♥ Finally, after a hard 2020 that has brought lots of disruptures to all of us, what do you see in the future of the brand?

There are some new pieces that I am still designing that have to go through several testing processes, but I really want to see the light. Both very mourning and very gothic. It really is the type of pieces that I like to make the most, more akin to my favourite style.

Albert Victoria, the wonderful illustrator, recently commissioned me for a boater hat that I am considering making in a similar way in the near future. They are mourning hats, very simple and elegant. An easy garment to combine with any outfit on any occasion.

Sadly 2020 hasn't been gentle enough to let us do as many photoshoots and collaborations as I would like to do, but of course, I'm looking forward to keeping working on this once the situation is safer. Exploring the image of the femme fatale, with fetish and very dark tints, is one of my favourite themes, and I'm sure the result can be fantastic. On the other hand, I am already taking notes and ideas for an upcoming photoshoot, in which I want male models and some diversity. I think it is important to highlight that these pieces are genderless and anyone may want to wear a nice hat or a flower crown. Everyone is welcome.

Regarding some events, most of them that were happening last year has been postponed (Lolita at the Green Gabbles and KeraFashion Show in Barcelona, ​​Gothic and Lolita Festival in Moscow, etc), but I really hope we can make them happened in the future and visit them!

 

Thank you so much for answering all my question with such wonderful stories and details, my beloved Issis! I hope everyone finds this interview as fascinating as it was for me redacting all the answers and putting them together for you to enjoy them.

All photos are used with the permission of Hats by Issis Starlust.