Philip Treacy gave a talk to students at the exhibition of his hats at RMIT
Gallery, Melbourne.

He began by asking if every one was a student of millinery and was surprised
to learn that there were so many (more than one or two!) educational
institutions teaching it in Melbourne.

He also said he didn't realise Melbourne Australia was such a "mecca for
hats".The "Melbourne Cup" being an annual horse racing event that attracts
huge crowds and hat wearers. There is a "Fashions on the Field " competition
that awards the best outfit and best hat with huge prizes including spending
money and international holidays.

Speaking of his friend and muse Isabella Blow, he described her as someone
who wears a hat in all occasions, anywhere, anytime, and has a sense of fun.
There is definately as sense of that when you read the descriptions
accompaning the hats. They occasionally describe the events and crowd
reactions to some of the hats worn by Isabella.... When Isabella opened a
local fair wearing one of Philips creations, the villagers didn't know what
to say!

When asked "What makes a good hat?" Philip replied

"Something you enjoy, that makes people have fun!"

Philip said he had 20 people working in his business. Five of these working
on the hats. When he makes hats for invidual clients,Philip works on each
hat. He feels it is his responsiblity to his clients.

In response to someone asking "Why hats?" Philip said he loved hats and was
challanged by the idea that people saw them as an old fashioned
accessory. He wanted to show people another approach.

He says he is "not trying to create sculpture,
not trying to create art", he makes hats!

On copying other peoples hats?

"Why would you want to make a hat like someone else?" Designers might give
him a drawing of an old fashion hat but he is not interested in recreating
it but interperting it into something modern and contemporary.

He said he is interested and excited by new textiles that were not around 20
years ago and likes to apply them to millinery. "The material you are using
needs to work for you. Can't make the
material do something it doesn't want to do" he says.