Created for the 2023 Fairchild Challenge, my task was to create my own hat based on personal aesthetics/interests with only second-hand materials. I was inspired by the gaudiness of the eighties---animal print, clashing textures, loud colors. I made my base out of cereal boxes and decorated it with vinyl from an ill-fitting pair of shorts, cow print cotton left over from a vest I had made prior (which you can see in my name tag!), chain from a purse, and ribbon. My hat was one of 8 (out of 76 submissions) to be displayed during the Billy Porter inspired flower show "Flowers Meet Fashion" at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Billy himself paid a visit to the show!
