INTERVIEW #59 ULTAVIOLHAT

Based in:  Bordighera, at the Italian Riviera

Founded in: 2020

Founded by: Pasquale Putrino

Stores: BYMARIE (Paris), LE CARRÉ (Saint Barth), Shipping worldwide

Price range: 185-275€

Instagram: @ultraviohat

Why we love them: What’s not to love about these amazing hats, handmade in the Italian riviera. We’ve seen them in Coveteur, L’OFFICIEL, Cosmopolitan, to name a few and now on A Sustainable Closet. We’re SO thrilled to welcoming this Italian color splash to our family!   

Hi there, we ADORE your hats and we're even more happy you wanted to talk to us, please tell us, what is Ultraviolhat and why did you start? 

Ciao! Thank you for reaching out. Ultraviolhat is a handmade brand, focused on crochet hats. I’ve learned from my mother, she shows up every Christmas with some hats, sweaters or socks and I’ve always taken that for granted. But as she’s getting old I’ve realized that probably one day I’ll miss that. I had the time to learn and I did it, so the tradition will go on in the family.

In what ways do you work with sustainability? 

Working with the yarn available during the moment, so I can avoid any waste. That’s why I don’t do custom hats. Trying to use recycled yarn as much as I can. Avoiding plastic from the packaging, working from home, taking it easy with a small production, even if the request is bigger. I still need some time to feed my mind reading or writing. Social sustainability is important too.

How and where are the products produced?

I work from home mostly, sometimes on a plane or train when I’m traveling. Luckily I just need a hook and some colored yarn. 

Where do you source the yarn from?

Everywhere I see yarn, it could be a fancy shop or a market. I just want the quality to be good. Also I live in a small village, and all the grandmas know what I do, so they bring me bags with some leftovers.

Where do you find inspiration?

Canvas, Monet and Modigliani mostly.

What have been and are the major challenges? 

There are many brands selling handmade colored hats, so the major challenge was make mine recognizable with the perfect shape and the better quality, something that you see and say “oh that’s an Ultraviolhat”. 

Also, being able to both work on my writing and the hats is a major challenge too, my first novel was supposed to be published in 2020 then the pandemic came and so the hats. I’d like to go back to it at some point.

What has been and are the largest gains? 

Seeing people that I admire for their work wearing my hats. My favorite photographer has one of my hats, and I have one of her photos, but she doesn’t know. 

What do you think needs to change in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable? 

Sometimes I ask myself if we really need all these clothes. I went to two different weddings this year, wearing the same suit. To me it was the most normal thing, wearing an outfit twice a year looks already a waste to me, but there are many people (friends included) who needs a new dress for every event. I don’t know what needs to change, whatever I will say, it will probably be said by someone who knows the field better than me. In my opinion, it is on us to change the way we look at fashion. When we’ll buy clothes because we like them and not because they are the trend of the moment, it will already be a win. 

What would you advise consumers to do who seek to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle? 

Buy few pieces but with good quality, something that you know one day your kids can steal from your closet. 

I don’t have any advice on how to create a sustainable lifestyle, I’m against that thing only because you have a platform where you feel like you can give advice. I need to really know you to do that. 

Best thing about Ultraviolhat? 

That I can work from every corner of the world. That’s why I’m taking this time to travel as much as I can. And that’s because of my clients, they really are the best thing. If there’s a need to give a face to the word patience, just take one of them. 

Do you have any advice for people who want to start their own business/brand or get into the industry? 

Think of your business as a form of art, and the industry will come to you, not you in the industry.