The Harrods J smith Esquire ‘pop-up’ is installed.

To mark the event there is a very special collection of unique pieces alongside the ‘Couture botanicals’ collection and a selection of pieces from each collection made especially for Harrods. If you cant make it down in the next couple of weeks, not to worry as they will be on sale until the end of June.

So proud that a photograph of the scrabble crown and myself has be featured on the Guardian’s ‘Best photographs of the day’:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2023/apr/13/a-darth-vader-protester-and-a-mass-water-fight-thursdays-best-photos

Today, marking 75 years of the original word game, Scrabble unveils a couture custom Crown made of 319 Scrabble tiles, an homage to the St Edwards Crown that will be used in the Coronation of King Charles III – created by British milliner to the stars Justin Smith.

Reuters.com,

Independant.co.uk

Express.co.uk

News.stv.tv

A collection of the very finest couture hats made exclusively by
 J Smith Esquire for sale in HARRODS, London’s leading luxury department store.

The first collection for Harrods is a masterclass in millinery
skills referencing the textures, shapes and colours of
inspirational flora. It comprises of five unique couture head
adornments built around the classic hairband to bring a
contemporary edge.

The hats will be on sale from now until the end of June and will be presented in the  ‘J Smith Esquire Pop-up space’ in Harrods from 23rd April to 7th May.

This is a great oppertunity to visit and try on some exquisite hats!

See the full collection

A massive thank you to the wonderful team, without their help this would not be possible.

Photography – @carlsoghouse
Styling – @carol_okay
Gowns – @haus_qc
The welcome interloper – @ivananohelscarfs
Make-up – @xabiercelaya
Assistant make-up – @nargis_ali_uk
Model 1 – @gabriella_0517
Model 2 – @_jadadasilva

‘Reverie’ is Justin’s breakout costume design project for a contemporary dance work, with the very talented Georgia Tegou  and her outstanding team of creatives. Follow the link to read all about the project.

An article in WWD written by Sam Conti – see the full article here.

“The Hackney hat maker that can’t be topped” – Thrilled to announce that J Smith Esquire’s atelier is the featured ‘Cult Shop’ in today’s Financial Times ‘How to spend it’ magazine. The feature can also be seen online

The brand new collection named ‘Platinum’, in honour of the Queen’s Jubilee. These twelve unique ‘occasion wear’ hats are a timeless collection to be worn throughout the season. They will see you through Ascot, Henley, or any wedding – do take a look.
The hats are available to buy by appointment at the atelier. To book an appointment click here

A collaboration with luxury luggage brand Gladstn London. We created a unique alternative to the traditional hat box, a carry-on piece of luggage, large enough for your wide brimmed hat and small enough to take on your flight for a trip away, around town or a special occasion.

Follow the link to see more details and to purchase,

Justin worked closely with Kassia Walicka-Maimone to create bespoke hats for the lead character ‘Bertha Russell’ in the first series of ‘The Gilded Age’ by Julian Fellowes.

To read articles about the costume click here and here.

Justin worked with costume designer Sharon Long to create bespoke pieces for Gillian Anderson, Elle Fanning & Nicholas Hoult for this second season of the award winning series.

Justin was commissioned by the Design Museum in London to remake his ‘Amy’ design for this special exhibition ‘Amy: Beyond the Stage’ The original was made in 2009 and belongs to the Victoria & Albert Museum.

A special commission art piece for International Talent Support (ITS) will be permanently displayed at the ITS Head Quarters in Trieste, Italy, as part of the new Arcademy, opening in 2022.

To see full details about the project click here, and to see the Web series click here.

Justin collaborated with costume designer Guy Speranza to create a bespoke bowler hat for this original film. Justin used his classic rolled brim ‘Signature’ design to give the bowler hat a modern twist.

Justin Smith’s workshop, his craftsmanship and his sources of inspiration, working on the Swatch Art Peace Hotel project based on the concept of HEART for International Talent Support.

To see more about the project click here, Watch the full series here.

The RCA T-Shirt Shop raises funds to support students attending the Royal College of Art with t-shirts designed by students, alumni and friends of the RCA. To purchase the t-shirt designed especially for the RCA by Justin Smith click here.

“My Nan was an expert embroiderer who won a place at the RCA during the war but sadly could not attend. I have taken her embroidery and made it into a silk scarf and when asked to design this t-shirt for the RCA project, what better way to pay homage to her than by using the pocket square within this print” – Justin Smith

‘(HE)ART work for the ARK‘ project.

“Develop an object, an artwork, that represents the spirit of Swatch and its commitment to supporting young creative talents. The “object” will remain in the Academy as a “founding stone” of this new project and as a memento of Swatch & ITS relationship. It will be at the heart of the new adventure, an emotional and emotion-generating piece.”

See the first video instalment of the year-long process to create the artwork here

Justin worked closely with costume designer Jenny Beavan to create six bespoke turbans for Emma Thompson for her character in this new rendition of Cruella.

J Smith Esquire Black Collection Asymmetrical Top Hat has been photographed by Paul Scala for the Balenciaga X Numéro Homme Netherlands special, styling by Karl Plewka. See the full story here.

Bespoke millinery by Justin for Robert Downey Jr.’s character Doolittle in this new rendition of a classic.

Jenny Beavan chose the asymmetrical top hat from the ‘Black’ collection as part of the design range that gave Robert his character.

“In increasingly ornate costuming by Ellen Mirojnick and milliner Justin Smith, they appear as singular entities more often than not. Jolie’s impeccable face is framed in one sequence by a collar made of gold-dipped crow skulls, with one dolloping her matching head piece”.

Justin Smith is milliner to Angelina Jolie once again to create the second edition of ‘Maleficent‘ for the film ‘Mistress of Evil’, the second film in the franchise.

See a behind the scenes video.

J Smith Esquire is delighted to have made a strictly limited collection of leather visors for Désidération at Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire in Paris from 26th October to 23rd November. This was a very special project by La Cellule Cosmiel, bringing together the artist SMITH, the writer Lucien Raphmaj and astrophysicist Jean-Philippe Uzan in collaboration with Le Studio Diplomates, composer Akira Rabelais and performer Nadège Piton.

An interview with Justin about his new shop in the old millinery quarter of De Beauvoir, London.

The Coburn Straw Topple from the Gold Collection is featured in the Financial Times ‘How To Spend It Magazine’, February 2019.

Millinery by Justin for Robert Downey Jr. in the movie ‘Dolittle’.

Justin worked closely with Jenny Beavan to create bespoke top hats in straw and a Black Collection asymmetrical felt top hat in brown and leather.

Three iconic hats by J Smith Esquire including the Stained Glass Mask from the Illuminated collection, are featured in a forthcoming exhibition of hats from around the world, taking place at Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel, Switzerland, from October 20th. Further information about this wonderful exhibition can be found here.

Justin created a large collection of millinery for ‘The Last Jedi’, the next ‘Star Wars‘ instalment, working closely with designer Michael Kaplan to fulfil his vision for the look of the movie.

An interview with Justin Smith for “House Rules” feature in the December edition of GQ Magazine.

J Smith Esquire is delighted to announce the opening of our brand new premises – an appointment-only shop in the heart of London’s De Beauvoir Town at 97 Southgate Road, London, N1 3JS.

Pictures of Justin Smith backstage at the presentation of his first collection ‘Flight’ are featured in ‘The Fundamentals of Fashion Design’ by Richard Sorger and Jenny Udale.

The private view for the launch of ‘Gold’ at the Herrick Gallery photos can be seen here.

Photos of the exhibition of the new ‘Gold’ collection at the Herrick Gallery, Piccadilly, London

Celebrating our tenth year with the launch of the ‘Gold Collection’ at a very special four-day exhibition of millinery and photography at Herrick Gallery, Piccadilly, London. Stunning couture showpieces, desirable bespoke millinery and beautiful photography by Jenny Hands.

Photograph by Jenny Hands, styling by Karl Plewka, clothing by Yohji Yamamoto.

Justin worked closely with the zip brand YKK to make couture pieces using their iconic zips for an exhibition in the YKK flagship store in Shoreditch London. Photos from the private view of J Smith Esquire for YKK.

Six pieces created by J Smith Esquire using YKK gold zips are now on display at the wonderful YKK London Showroom. These are the first pieces to be seen from the new J Smith Esquire collection which launches on 31st May 2017. They showcase what can be done in millinery with YKK’s quality materials.

On show at YKK London Showroom until 26th June 2017. Our thanks to Kei, Anna and Sabine for their help and kindness. Photograph by Jenny Hands.

Classic millinery techniques, foundations skills and an introduction to hat blocks in a workshop environment taught by Justin Smith at Pinewood Studios on behalf of Creative Media Skills.

Justin was commissioned to make hats for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s characters throughout the movie and are featured in the movie poster.

Justin was commissioned to make Kathy Burke’s nun’s cornette and other featured cornettes, along with Amanda Seyfried’s iconic rolled brim cloche.

Bespoke commissions for Alicia Vikander and Armie Hammer.

Asymmetric Fedoras for the A/W 2015 collection by Aganovich.

Fantastic shoot styled by Patti Wilson and photographed by Steven Klein.

Amal wears a cream wide brimmed sun hat made by J Smith Esquire for her wedding day.

Photos of the ‘Black’ collection private view event hosted by Justin and Nikole Lowe.

The exhibition of the new ‘Black’  installation at Good Times Tattoo.

Photo album of the exhibition can be seen here.

Announcing the private view of ‘Black’ by J Smith Esquire.

Justin worked very closely with Angelina Jolie for several months at Pinewood Studios to create this iconic look for the movie franchise by Disney.

“How did he do that? Hats off to the Maleficent milliner Justin Smith.”

An asymmetrical top hat, one of J Smith Esquire’s signature shapes for the A/W 2014 collection by Aganovich.

The notion that every hat makes its own individual journey has inspired the new S/S 2014 collection by J Smith Esquire.

‘Destination’ is a celebration of travel and the excitement of exploring the four corners of the globe, a homage to every journey made by each hat during its time on the planet, whether long or short, with or without its wearer.

‘Destination’ is a strictly limited edition collection. Each piece bears a unique number embroidered inside the hat, and the fabric from which each is made depicts a different part of the world.

Hand-made, hand-finished, double-blocked, luxury felt and leather signature hats by J Smith Esquire for A/W 2013. Each is finished with a nappa leather and gold trim, and a limited edition Liberty print lining.

A unique baseball cap in wool felt for Stella McCartney A/W 2013.  Justin collaborated with Stella’s team to make 26 couture pieces for the show.

A collection of eight couture silk draped turbans, hand-made by Justin for ‘Once Upon My Time: an Installation’ of the S/S 2013 collection by (es)* Artisanal.

The installation included a couture centrepiece in draped, vintage silk, encrusted with Swarovski crystals. This is the first time that a collaboration between Justin Smith and Fabrizio Talia has been shown in Milan.

Full album of photos here.

J Smith Esquire’s contribution to the BT ArtBox project can be seen in Park Lane in central London. Justin collaborated with Darren Smith, his brother, to make a Lego bowler hat for the replica phone box. BT Artbox was a charity event taking place all over London for the summer of 2012.

A collection of sixteen one-off couture pieces. Each has been hand-made by Justin as his way to celebrate the jubilee.

Justin collaborated with Cunnington & Sanderson to show some of the ‘Invincible collection’ on the catwalk at London Fashion Week.

Emilio de la Morena A/W 2012 ready-to-wear collection. Little Bow Hairbands by J Smith Esquire.

The new J Smith Esquire collection for A/W 2012 is called ‘Invincible’. The inspiration draws on familiar shapes and ideas from characters of old-fashioned comic book movies and features one-off couture pieces and luxury ready-to-wear.

“At Land” by (es)* Artisanal. An installation by Fabrizio Talia & Justin Smith took place at the Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Rome on January 29th 2012. Three couture pieces were created.

Air Squared is a collection of 48 new looks for S/S 2012 inspired by Justin’s expeditions to Indonesia as the winner of the British Council ‘Young Entrepreneur Of The Year’ Award in 2010. This collection was first shown together with Oscar Lawalata during Jakarta fashion week 2011.

‘Air Squared’ follows on from the ‘Air’ collection first shown earlier this year in London and Paris.

J Smith Esquire is collaborating with Aganovich this season with a show on the first day of Paris Fashion week. 12 couture ‘Floating Berets’ were made for the show.

Guoman Hotels presents – J Smith Esquire.

Italian vogue covered the event

“The event of the evening for me was the amazingly beautiful retrospective of Justin Smith Esqure at the lovely Guoman Hotel.” – Dianne Pernet

Click on the below photo for a full album of photos of the event:

The new collection will preview at ‘Headonism’ during London Fashion Week on the 16th of September.

The couture collection will be presented as part of a special exhibition at The Royal Horseguards Hotel on 16th September. The exhibition is called ‘Guoman presents J Smith Esquire: 5’ and will launch five bespoke doormen hats, specially created for the London hotels in the Guoman Hotels group. Alongside the doormen’s hat collection, are the Parrot Headdresses and a compendium of showpieces and collaborations from the last five years of J Smith Esquire millinery. The exhibition continues for four weeks.

The visit to Indonesia for the British Council ‘Young Fashion Entrepreneur Award’ has gone well and Justin has started his research into specialist Indonesian straw weaving techniques.

Justin presented a couture piece as part of a collaboration with Fabrizio Talia for (es)* Artisanal, Alta Roma, July 2011.

J Smith Esquire presented a couture piece at ‘Limited/Unlimited’ Exhibition during Alta Roma, Rome’s couture fashion week. This was the first piece from Justin’s upcoming London Fashion Week presentation.

Justin & Fabrizio have started a modern luxury brand named (ES)* Artisanal. It’s a collection of bespoke couture pieces, working directly with each client to make their wardrobe dreams come to life. All pieces are made by hand in Italy & London/UK.

Justin will be showing hats and accessories with Aganovich at a show at Palais de Tokyo during Paris Fashion Week on March 1st 2011.

Justin will be exhibiting his ‘Pinstriped Armour’ showpiece during Paris Fashion week from the 4th–7th March, at the RA showroom in the Marais in Paris.

Justin has collaborated with Mother of Pearl on their collection for a second season.

The new Spring/Summer 2011 collection from J Smith Esquire is called ‘Illuminated’.

The showroom will take place from 1st–3rd October during Paris Fashion Week: People’s Revolution, 14 rue Portefoin, 75003 Paris.

Justin has won the British Council ‘Young Fashion Entrepreneur Of The Year Award 2011’ for his proposal to travel to Indonesia to study and work with local designers.

Justin has been invited to exhibit during Milan Fashion Week at a three-day exhibition of Italian Vogue‘s young talented designers which will take place at Palazzo Morando, a museum in the city centre.

The opening will be on Wednesday, 22nd September in the evening. Franca Sozzani and Anna Wintour will host the opening.

Justin’s hats will be worn by Matthew Herbert during his forthcoming live performances due to take place in June and July in the UK and Europe. Justin was commissioned to make 4 hats that were musical instruments and props as well as couture millinery.

Justin collaborated with Manish Arora to make couture headpieces for the his catwalk show in Paris.

Justin has colloborated with Moschino to create a number of hats for Spring 2010. They will premier in Milan on 26th September.

Justin Smith has been shortlisted for the British Council ‘Young Fashion Entrepreneur of the year Award’ and will be travelling to Indonesia during the 2nd week of March to study and work with local designers.

‘Shade’ is a collection of classic millinery, referencing themes from sources such as Neil Gaiman’s novel ‘Neverwhere’ and Victorian/Edwardian theatre and street life, all reinvented with the J Smith Esquire signature, to create a new couture.

The collection will be installed at 72, Old Compton Street, Soho, London W1 on Saturday 20th February 2010. Following this private viewing, the new collection will transfer to Somerset House where it will be exhibited as part of London Fashion Week until 24th February 2010.

Justin Smith’s collection for Spring/Summer 2010 is called ‘Light’. The collection premiers on Friday 18th September during London Fashion Week at Somerset House. The couture collection is shown as part of ‘Headonism’, a British Fashion Council initiative, celebrating the new wave of emerging London milliners.

Justin has designed made-to-order and ready-to-wear piece’s for Hobbs’ Autumn 2009 ‘Limited Edition’ collection. Beautifully cut, hand-crafted clothing, footwear and accessories made from the most luxurious fabrics and leathers. ‘The Limited Edition’ collection launches at the end of September 2009.

Justin has created one-off pieces for the Aganovich show which will be exhibited in a presentation at Paris Fashion Week on the 1st of October at Galerie Anne De Villepoix, 43 rue de Montmorency, 75003 Paris.

J Smith Esquire will be showcasing the A/W 09 collection ‘Three’ at the luxury boutique ‘Maria Luisa’ during Paris Fashion Week.

Selected pieces from the collection will be on display at the shop. Justin will be taking bookings to view the complete collection in-store for buyers who wish to view it. Maria Luisa staff will also be on-hand for enquiries and bookings.

Justin will be taking part in a one-day symposium organised to accompany the V&A’s major exhibition ‘Hats: An Anthology’ by Stephen Jones.

The day features milliners, curators, writers and academics discussing the language of contemporary hats and headwear. Talks explore both the design and making of hats and the socio-cultural context for how and when they are worn.

Exploring Contemporary Hats and Headwear
Friday 20 March 2009, 10.30-17.30
Seminar Room 3, Victoria & Albert Museum
£45, £5 students

www.vam.ac.uk/tickets
Tel: 020 7942 2211

Justin Smith’s new collection for A/W 2009 premiers as an installation at On|Off, The Royal Academy Of Arts on February 21st, 2009.

“‘Three’ is a safari through a strange new country. Journey through a menagerie of eccentric human characters and exotic animals, all wild and free in their natural habitat. A new collection made from unwashed denim with leather and sherpa trimmings, all designed to age and fade beautifully. Sculptural, un-washed luxuries from the wilderness.”

Justin Smith produced a film for his A/W 09 collection ‘Three’. The film was directed by Yuval Hen and edited by Tom Palliser. It was shown at London Fashion Week.

Tonight at The Brits, the Pet Shop Boys were presented with the ‘Outstanding Contribution To Music’ award. During their showcase performance, Neil Tennant wore an oversized bowler hat, one of Justin’s earliest designs.

J Smith Esquire has a number of collaborations lined up for the coming months showing bespoke headwear with the following:  Aganovich and Justin are collaborating on headwear for their March presentation in London.  ‘Jaiden rVa James’ A/W 09 London Fashion Week collaboration. Reem, collaboration for headwear for Tokyo Fashion Week. Sarah Easom – Fashion Forward finalist S/S 09 hats.  Hobbs, one ready-to-wear hat in an edition of 50-100, and one handmade-to-order hat. Look out for the Hobbs collaboration in September!

‘Hats: An Anthology’ by Stephen Jones is a collaboration between the V&A and one of the world’s foremost hat designers, Stephen Jones.

Justin has made a tattoo top hat, personally commissioned by Stephen Jones.

The exhibition in the Porter Gallery will display more than 300 hats chosen with the expert eye of a milliner. On display will be hats ranging from an Egyptian Anubis mask dating from 600BC to a 1950s Balenciaga hat and couture creations by Jones and his contemporaries. To show the universal appeal and delight of wearing hats, Jones has included a wide variety of styles including top hats, berets and a child’s plastic tiara.

Displayed in a magical, box-hedged, Baroque garden setting, ‘Hats An Anthology’ will be the V&A’s first exhibition devoted to hats, with many pieces from its extensive hat collection on display for the first time.

J Smith Esquire was featured in the Vogue exclusive ‘Don’t Miss List’.

In the September issue of Interview magazine, the legendary hatter picks Justin as his one to watch… “It is very refreshing to see a different point of view in millinery at last,” says master British hatmaker Stephen Jones of nominee Justin Smith. “Justin’s hats have culture, and they are original.”

Jones is also been quoted in the September 08 issue of Grazia as saying: “Justin’s work is exciting because he makes hats which challenge the aesthetics set by myself or Philip Treacy.”

Justin Smith’s third independent collection for S/S 2009 is called ‘Kaleidoscope’. The show takes place at the Royal Academy Of Arts on September 16th as part of London Fashion Week.

After receiving much press attention for his previous two shows, ‘Kaleidoscope’ takes Justin’s signature styles to the next level of artistry. The quicksilver milliner’s skill deceives the eye of the beholder and every hat in this collection showcases a different technique to amazing effect.

‘Kaleidoscope’ is a collection of fascinating, hand-made millinery pieces that can be worn singly or in clusters, coming together to make any number of ingenious combinations; from pop-up sun hats to origami headbands, fringes and finger waves, buttons and bows, dream-catchers and foil-blocked feathers, endlessly combinable, uncontrollably creative.

Watch the show here.

J Smith Esquire’s tattooed top hat has been bought by the museum of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology for their permanent collection and is to be displayed in this Autumn’s ‘Gothic: Dark Glamour’ exhibition. Exploring the influence of Gothic culture on high fashion, this promises to be one of the largest and most exciting exhibitions in the Museum’s history. The exhibition will be on display from September 5th 2008 to February 21st 2009, and will include about 100 looks by designers such as Alexander McQueen and John Galliano:

“While I was working on the exhibition, ‘Gothic: Dark Glamour,’ I happened to see a photograph of J Smith Esquire’s hat in ‘W Magazine’ – and I immediately knew that I had to have it, not only on loan for the exhibition but for the permanent collection of the Museum at FIT. As a specialized fashion museum, we acquire directional clothes and accessories – fashions that move fashion-forward.

This extraordinary hat obviously fell in this category. Drawing on historical prototypes of upper-class masculinity, the hat also carried an aggressive edge that alluded to punk sensibility. It also evoked the Victorian futurism of the steampunk subculture and, of course, the amazing ‘tattoo’ of the bat alluded to a wealth of body art. An extraordinary creation, it was the product of multiple craft specializations – fashion, jewellery, and art.”

– Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator – The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York

Justin’s A/W 2008 “Dance With Me” collection will be shown at the Royal Academy of Art as part of London Fashion Week.

Known for launching the careers of British fashion’s Royalty, the New Gen award is a scheme set up with the British Fashion Council to search for and financially support up-and-coming British-based fashion designers. Previous winners have included Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Julian MacDonald, Matthew Williamson, Clements Riberio, Antonio Berardi and Hussein Chalayan.

Justin has been selected to show at the New Gen stand at this years London Fashion Week.

‘International Talent Support’ is a fashion competition for young fashion designers, photographers and fresh graduates of fashion schools from all around the world.

From the 25 finalists, Justin won two awards. The i-D Styling Award gives Justin an eight-page spread in i-D Magazine with a budget to support the content, while the prize for the Maria Luisa Award is a window display in this prestigious Paris fashion store during Paris Fashion Week.

Watch the trailer featuring Justin here.

Justin’s MA graduation collection was shown in late May at the Royal College of Art to great acclaim from the press, his peers and tutors. If you would like to experience the collection for yourself, please see a video of the catwalk performances below.

At a gathering at London’s ‘Pure’ fashion fair today, Stephen Jones named Justin Smith the ‘Hat Designer of the Year’ for 2006.

Jones set the design brief and headed the jury for the annual competition organised by The Hat Magazine. Jones, who is celebrating 25 years in the fashion business, asked entrants to design six hats for ’25 years hence: the year 2031′. Justin designed a collection based on recycling.

Announcing the winner, Jones congratulated Justin for his “meticulous attention to detail” and his “luxurious styling”. He concluded that: “Justin had studied the brief and had really used his design talent to create … an excellent collection.”

Yesterday evening at the annual Ladies’ Banquet of the Worshipful Company of Feltmakers of London, Lady Howard presented Justin Smith with the ‘Feltmaker Award For Hat Design’ for 2006.

The prize is awarded annually for a commercially viable ladies’ hat design incorporating wool felt or fur felt. The competition is open to students, trainees and apprentices based in the UK.

The ‘Flight’ collection was shown as part of the graduation show from the Kensington & Chelsea HNC in Millinery. Justin undertook a one year course which won him a bursary at the Royal College of Art to study a Millinery Masters starting the following term.