Phina,
2011,
toyo braid with African
fabric flower
Dancy,
2011,
paglina braid with
distressed ribbon
Dita,
2011,
straw cloth with
African fabric
flowers
—J
Mufasa,
2011
African fabrics
been drawn to hats and made
them on his own, but didn’t
know the craft well enough to
make a living at it. That’s when
he decided to go to FIT. “It was
a matter of survival in the begin-
ning,” he says.
As he learned how to mold
felts on hat blocks and shape and
trim the rims, he fell for hat
making. And it was easier and
more affordable to start small
with a hat collection than with a
clothing line. So he trained with
Janine Galimard, who worked
for Balenciaga in the 1950s and
’60s, and he assisted hat designer
Lola and theatrical milliner
Lynne Mackey.
In 2004, a stylist wandered
into Phare, a now-dcfunct shop
where Swanepoel worked, look-
ing for someone to make turbans
for New York fashion label
Procnza Schouler. She enlisted
Swanepoel. He went on to col-
laborate with Carolina Herrera,
Tommy Hilfiger, Alexander
Wang and Diane von Fursten-
berg on their runway collections.
He established his namesake
label in 2006, with the paper cut-
out from Paris as his logo hang-
ing on his studio door.
In 2008, Swanepoel was a
runner-up for the prestigious
Council of Fashion Designers of
America CFDA/Voguc Fashion
Fund, a $50,000 award to help
emerging designers; it’s a mo-
ment he considers his highest
achievement. His line is sold in
Barneys shops nationwide, and
he has recently designed a few
hats for the masses with Gap,
J. Crew and Stetson.
Despite these mainstream
successes, he still considers him-
self a craftsman above all else.
“Making things with my hands is
important to me—it’s very re-
warding to start with nothing
and create something after a day
or two," he said. “It’s an old craft
that I have to respect and make
modern.” -SARA CLASSMAN
albertusswanepoel.com
Sara Classman is a fashion writer
in Minneapolis.
MA /Andover
Addison Gallery
of American Art
Sheila Hicks: so T:ars
to Feb. 11
andovcr.edu/muscums/Addison
The first museum retrospective
devoted to Hicks, a pioneering
artist known for public commis-
sions built of color and fiber.
MA / Brockton
Fuller Craft Museum
Photo Clay: In the Picture
with Warren Mather
to Jan. 23
fullercraft.org
Mather explores the expressive
potential of silk-screened photo-
graphic images on ceramics
(below).
MD / Baltimore
Baltimore Clayworks
Winterfest 2010
tojan. 8
baltimoreclayworks.org
Winterfest features established
and emerging artists. This is
its 15th anniversary.
ME / Rockport
Messier Gallery
Contemporary Maine
Wood Sculpture
Dec. 3-Feb. 4
woodschool.org/gallcry
A curated exhibition on the cam-
pus of the Center for Furniture
Craftsmanship.
MN / Minneapolis
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
A rt o f the N ative Americans:
The Thaw Collection
tojan. 9
artsmia.org
More than 100 works demon-
strate the range of art and craft
of Native American cultures.
dec/jan 11 american craft on
