EAST Interview: Jean Cannon of Zenda Hats

Austin may be known for it's liberal attitudes, causal fashion, and nearly constant sunshine - as a result, outside of the occasional beat-up cowboy hat or burnt orange baseball cap, we're not big hat wearers. Despite this, Austin is home to a few talented milliners, among them Jean Cannon of Zenda Hats whose studio will be open this weekend for East Austin Studio Tour. Cannon's work is high-fashion enough to adorn the head's of church ladies and Austin enough to accessorize us at our version of church - Sunday morning breakfast tacos. Among the work on display during the tour is a fabulous silken bonnet that Cannon created for a theater costume, a stunning black women's top hat, and a handsome men's fedora. Stop by her studio (at 3709 Werner Ave) this weekend during EAST to try on many hats and see the tools of the trade. Come pretty and prepared - photographers Kristin Ware and Debbie Smith will be at the site with their Polaroid photo-booth to capture everyone's fashionable finery.

Why hats? How did you get involved with the fine art of millinery?

I think my love of hats was inspired by an early age by my grandparents. I have the most wonderful picture of my grandmother as a war bride in 1942—she is wearing one of those elegant military-cut suits that was popular during the time, but the masculine look of the suit is overshadowed by a beautiful hat draped with veiling. When my grandmother died last year, my mother gave me her wedding suit to restore, but unfortunately we could not find the hat that accompanied it. I will have to recreate it!

My grandfather was a fedora man: he believed that “a gentleman never goes out without his hat.” I can even remember him saying that even though he was a dedicated Democrat, he didn’t approve of JFK because he didn’t wear a hat. I suppose, due largely to the influence of my grandparents, I have come to associate hats with a sense of dignity. Also, I was raised in a small town in North Carolina, where hat-wearing in churches was a confirmed part of the culture. You wear the best to praise the Lord! In my twenties I moved to a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn, and found the Sunday morning enthusiasm for hats irresistible. I used to make coffee on Sunday mornings and sit on my stoop and sketch the fabulous parade of hats that would proudly pass by.

In terms of actual millinery training, I’ve had to use guerrilla tactics, because formal millinery classes are hard to find! I started out taking a night class at Parsons—but at that time I barely knew how to thread a sewing machine so I had a lot of catch-up to do to be able to keep up with the New York fashionistas! After that, I got books and taught myself intermittently. Also I have sought out classes at craft schools such as Penland in Asheville, North Carolina, and Arrowmont in Tennessee. I’m always on the hunt for new and interesting classes.

What can we expect to see at your studio? Which guest artists will you be hosting and how will they add to the tour experience?

My studio is full—probably too full—of the materials used to make and trim hats: wooden and styrofoam hat blocks, felts and straws, ribbons, steamers, etc. Visitors can visit the studio and see hats in various states of completion, and also enjoy an outdoor display of finished hats for sale. I encourage everyone to try them on! I will also be joined at my studio by photographers Kristin Ware and Debbie Smith. Aside from showing their own (fabulous) work, they will be running a large Polaroid photo booth. Visitors can try on hats and dress them up with goodies from a large box of props—feather boas, clown noses, nerd glasses, etc.—and have their picture taken. The results have been fantastic, and add a wonderful bit of interactive fun to the whole experience of the tour. Debbie and Kristin will have the Polaroids on display, and will put them online for viewing after the tour.