Here at VB, we’re all about celebrating talent and it’s not hard as the Isle of Wight has plenty to go round.
One such lady with bags of it is Islander, Sophie Beale.
Earlier in the year Sophie, a milliner, entered Grazia Magazine’s Hat Factor millinery competition and managed to impress the judges so much (including Philip Treacy no less), that she was selected to take part in this week’s HATWALK project.
What is HATWALK?
HATWALK is a collaboration between the Mayor of London and Grazia (and sponsored by BT) for the cultural Olympiad.
It aims to showcase Britain’s rich history, high fashion and includes a healthy dose of eccentricity. Twenty-one statues around the Capital have been dressed this week with fabulous hats, all by British designers.
Sophie not only won the chance to take part in the event, but was chosen to dress one of the main statues in Trafalgar Square, General Sir Charles Napier. Quite an honour indeed.
Napier’s galleon
She came up trumps with this fantastic galleon which is surrounded by crashing waves and represents Napier’s adventures on the high seas. We wonder whether growing up on an island surrounded by water helped?
Sophie, who studied millinery at Kensington and Chelsea College, said she was “unbelievably flattered, proud and excited to be included in HATWALK.”
Well done Sophie, we’re big fans of your work and wish you the very best in the future.
See Sophie’s other brilliant designs on her Website. Find out more about HATWALK.
Thanks to Chelle Salsbury for the heads-up.
