We've Got All Your Wedding Headwear Dilemmas Sorted

Want to wear a fascinator but don’t want to come off all mother-of-the-bride-esque? We’ve got the perfect designer for you.

We’re right smack bang in the middle of wedding season which is just about the time that outfit panics start to set in (think: can I wear these shoes again? What if someone else is wearing this dress?! What on gods earth do I do with my makeup?!?!) If you’re wanting to branch out and try something a bit different, we suggest Zoe Sherwood, the headwear designer that you need to know about now. With cute, kitsch and damn right cool designs, we’ll be investing in one not just for this year but for decades to come. 

We talk to the woman herself about DVF, business icons and LFW. 

Why did you create your own brand? 

I first started my own brand back in 2009 when I won Liberty of London’s Best of British competition. I entered it after returning from New York after interning for DVF; Diane had taken an interest in the feather headpieces I was wearing and I ended up making some for the DVF accessories line after being commissioned. Since graduating from Central Saint Martins I have worked as a freelancer in the creative industry for over 6 years doing a mixture of things like collaborating with designers and creating pieces for editorial, advertising campaigns and films. My CSM tutor, Howard Tangye then encouraged me to create a full head piece collection under my own name which I did in 2014. 

Where else had you interned? 

I had a bit of a diverse internship experience including Henry Poole, the tailors on Savile Row in London as well as obviously DVF in New York. Internships became a fantastic way for me to understand how businesses run as well as a great way of meeting people in the industry and gaining a greater understanding of how the fashion business works. You can never stop learning. 

You’ve shown at the stands at LFW twice already, what’s it like? 

Showing at LFW is exciting and intense. As I am such a small brand, idesign and make everything myself. I work right up until I show on all the pieces as well as the background things like PR, the lookbook, social media, photoshoots, invites etc. it’s a full on week of showing, meeting, telling and selling my brand to people I’ve never met before. 

What was the most popular item on your stand? 

This season my ‘It’s All About’ collection received a great deal of interest. My ‘conversational headpieces’ as they were described by WGSN were very popular! The Kiss and Me slides, Love headbands and the Mini Me fascinators were all popular pieces. Since LFW I have been commissioned to create bespoke pieces with personal messages in them which is a great pleasure to personalize my signature pieces. 

How would you sum your brand up in three words? 

Sculptural, expressive and romantic. 

Who is your fashion business icon? 

Vivienne Westwood. It sounds corny but I remember when I was very young and I watched The Clothes Show Live on TV and since then I’ve always loved her and her brand. I love the diverse interests that she has a woman in business stands for, her expressive style and her essence.