BT and Grazia sponsor London Hatwalk
BT and Grazia are sponsoring an initiative that will see British military and political heroes of the past transformed today (30 July) to help promote current hat designers as part of celebrations of British culture in London during the 2012 Games.
Lord Nelson will don a recreation of his bicorn hat, complete with Olympic torch, by London’s oldest hatters Lock & Co, atop his column in Trafalgar Square.
Elsewhere 20 statues across London of iconic figures including Winston Churchill and William Shakespeare will wear hats by designers including Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones.
The exhibition of British millinery, dubbed ‘Hatwalk’, is the result of a collaboration between the Mayor of London, 21 established and emerging hat designers, Grazia magazine, BT and the British Fashion Council.
It is designed to showcase the city’s heritage at the same time as promoting its millinery tradition, and forms part of a series of free ‘cultural events’ under the ‘Surprises’ banner, which itself forms part of ‘Mayor of London Presents’ series.
Other ‘Surprises’ include pop-up and one-off experiences throughout the summer including Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller’s Stonehenge inflatable replica tour around London and pop-up Shakespeare by the Globe Theatre.
