Rafa Peinador
‘Sadness’
In response to the title of the exhibition “Beyond the Brim,” I took the concept of a brim, divided it into separate sections, and rearranged them to create a headpiece. Each section is covered with cross-stitch canvas, and some are embroidered. These parts are layered in such a way that the full embroidered image can only be seen from the front.
Price: £1000.
“My great-grandmother was an embroiderer. Although I never met her or learned directly from her, I was recently given her embroidery tools, frames, and the books she brought from France. Since then, I’ve been inspired to learn more about her life and work, and to deepen my own knowledge of embroidery. This is the main reason I chose to use cross-stitch and canvas in my headpiece.”
Materials and Techniques
Crossstisch canvas
Embroidery threats
Wire
Crossstich
Millinery Heritage
“I became a milliner because a friend asked me to take a hat making course with her. Nearly seven years later, working professionally as a milliner, it’s clear that course changed my professional life completely.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to gain skills from a variety of creative disciplines and to be taught by many talented teachers. Without their generosity in sharing knowledge, it would be impossible to preserve these crafts and techniques for future generations.
My great-grandmother was a embroiderer and my family ran The Royal Tapestry factory in Spain for many years.”
About Rafa Peinador
Rafa Peinador is a Spanish, award winning London based milliner who specialises in fashion headpieces with a touch of unexpected and fun. His roots and life connection with Spain, Italy and the UK are part of his inspiration together with the love for unusual materials and vintage craft techniques.
His previous career choices, advertising and jewellery making, before moving to London and his millinery training have granted him different skills which he has applied in his head pieces to build a brand based on creativity, quality and joy.
His pieces were showcased in a fashion show for the first time in 2020 in Madrid Fashion Week, where he has been a constan presences every season since then. His pieces are regularly featuring in international fashion publications, as well as TV series, films and special events.