©2022 Harvy Santos

bold constructions for AW2019 >>

under the influence of raw concrete

London milliner Harvy Santos announces the launch of ‘BRUTAL’, his bold new collection of hats and headpieces for Autumn/ Winter 2019/2020 inspired by the raw concrete or ‘béton brut’ of modernist engineers and pioneers.  The new range of twenty-nine original hand-made designs channels architectural influences from Tadao Ando, Le Corbusier, Zaha Hadid, Oscar Niemeyer and Frank Lloyd Wright.

 

‘I like concrete because of its extreme versatility,’ says Harvy.  ‘It can be rough, it can be smooth, it can be as simple as a block but in the right hands it can swirl into something sweeping and organic.’  The hats and headpieces in ‘BRUTAL’ explore this unique combination of functionality and flourish.  ‘Poured concrete can be formed into anything from a modest house to a spiralling museum or a soaring temple.  My new brutalist hats can either give a frivolous outfit some depth, or dress up a simple pair of jeans to make you feel like a rock star.’

 

‘As a child I remember watching workers build a form and pour the concrete, and I was utterly fascinated by the process that made something so flimsy and temporary into something so solid and permanent,’ Harvy continues. ‘In today’s chaos of patterns, colours and political earthquakes, simplicity still makes the strongest statement. Bold minimalism will show off your rough edges with quiet confidence.’

 

Known for meshing classic and signature shapes with disruptive design features, Harvy has reimagined the forms of brutalist architecture into exquisite wearable objects—some are strict and severe, some fluid and graceful, some fragmented and blown apart.  To construct these ‘BRUTAL’ pieces, he has drawn on a rich array of traditional and innovative materials including wool and silk blends, chenille braids, leather, crystals, real concrete beads, and specially tinted cork to simulate the unfinished surface texture of a concrete wall. All the collection’s components have been ethically sourced from global suppliers, and each hat and couture headpiece is a unique creation made entirely by hand in Harvy's London studio.

 

photos: Jade Berry

makeup: Nozomi Maeda

model: Liza M