People always like to carry good expectations and vision of things. The last century in particular symbolises the identity and class of the hat. Designers have the ability to create a dream through elegant patterns and sophisticated techniques. Weaving in fairytales associated with love to characterise the classics of every age.

The hats of the past have created a range of different aesthetics from gorgeously dignified to crazily funny, which give the designers of today some direction. Today we’re speaking to the founder of Espiègle about her childlike yet elegant brand and how the perspective of contemporary women reinterpret the grace of fashion.

Espiègle is the French word for ‘playful’, which is the perfect way to describe the brand’s style. The designer combines a lot of different colours with interesting design elements to create a childlike style. She does this to communicate a childlike, happy life through her pieces.

Xin Wen began painting when she was just three years old. She then moved onto graduate from the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts Department and continued her studies in the UK at Birmingham City University, where she got a degree in fashion accessories. She has won a number of gold medals and outstanding awards for the paintings and sculptures. At the start of 2015, she created her own hat brand, Espiègle.

Why did you create Espiègle?
When I was studying I wanted to create my own ideas. After graduating I had a lot of social practice and decided to slowly build up a business. During my time in the UK I saw a lot of beautifully designed hats and learnt about the traditionalism behind them, which gave me plenty of ideas for when it came to creating my own hat and accessories brand.

Did you travel to other European countries whilst studying in the UK? What is the most impressive thing you saw during your studies?
I have been to many place, I love travelling. In fact, I encounter a lot of interesting things wherever I go. These experiences then link back to my creations. For example, when I went to Spain, I forgot to take my passport and had to stay and extra week. During this week I visited a museum where I discovered 3D embroidery and a beautiful book about mushroom, which is where the inspiration for my first hat series came from. For me, travel is a wonderful experience. To explore the unknown is good.

How would you describe your brands style?
Firstly it must be childlike. There will be some retro colours, which will contrast with some contradictory elements such as traditional hat techniques. I like to use bright colours and embroidery to convey a more young, elegant yet fun feel.

What are the handmade elements in your designs?
All the embroidery and dyeing processes are done by hand. Each hat contains are large number of handcrafted elements. You need to be very patient in order to reach the right result and convey your brand well.

Your brand has a very distinctive feminine feel, how do you work out the relationship between market demand and personal creativity?
When I created my first series, I followed my own personal ideas. However, with my other collections I have had to be a lot more considerate when it comes to the needs of the customers. Even things like there weather need to be thought about, will the wind blow the bow around too much, etc.

How do you usually get inspiration?
Through life and travel. I’m always seeing new and interesting things that can be transformed into a design for my brand. I like to challenge myself so I try and pay attention to the more rare materials and interesting styles to express through my creations.

What is the future plan?
I want to create a more systematic plan this year in terms of price. I will still maintain my design integrity but I hope to provide my consumer with affordable, high quality products.