Accessories: Louis Mariette’s Flair for the Dramatic

Louis Mariette [MALAWI]

…Oh to be inside the mind of Louis Mariette, creator of fabulous bespoke hat couture, fascinators and headpieces. Dazzling, bejewelled creations take you on a journey of discovery into the wild and wonderful world of a designer who works to push the boundaries, imagining the unimaginable.

A highly experimental and inquisitive designer, Louis Mariette has an impeccable eye for unique style. His designs are rooted in originality and attention to detail, created to make an entrance. Born in Malawi, with Mauritian origins and growing up in Botswana and Swaziland, Louis’ childhood experiences have had a big impact on his creations, one where he would spend time exploring nature; collecting feathers, semi precious stones, seedpods, cactus flowers, and beads and trimmings from local tribes. Louis’s extravagant designs reflect his fascination with bird feathers and the incredible palette of colours and textures to be found in beetles, butterflies and dragonflies. All this ignited a passion for colour and sparkle; and influence his use of amazing trimmings such as hand-embroidered fabrics, antique embellishments, porcupine quills, feathers and semi-precious stones that are sourced from every corner of the globe.

Creations as flamboyant as the charismatic personality behind them, Louis Mariette became widely known in 2005 after creating the world’s most expensive hat, the woven platinum and diamond, Chapeau d’Amour costing a cool £1.5 million and his vivid imagination has led to such creations as the Princess Neptune hat, selected by Hong Kong Tatler as the best hat of 2008, more recently Louis was seen as a judge on Season 5 of Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model. Louis takes private commissions and has collaborations with fashion designers, celebrities and corporate business.