Hat's the way to do it (From Free Press Series)

Hat's the way to do it

Abergavenny hat designer Alison Tod is renowned in the fashion world for her stunning designs. County Life's Noel Davies met up with her to chat about life as one of the country's leading hat designers and her abiding love for Abergavenny.

Alison Tod shuffles about her colourful studio. Bits of bright fabric, beads and cotton dust the tables, while an assortment of hats stand with regimental authority.

It's been a busy few months for the designer having just finished making hundreds of hats for high society's showpiece summer horse race at Ascot.

"Hello," she smiles, inviting me into the hub of Alison Tod HQ - the sewing room.

Slightly nervous-looking Alison is anything but the typical fashion luvvie many might have expected. She prides herself on being approachable and down-to-earth despite having sipped tea with Bill Clinton and showcased her hats at London Fashion week.

"I love Abergavenny. It's such a beautiful, inspiring place. I thought everywhere was blessed with such beauty until I moved to London. We really are lucky here," she assures.

Alison moved to the capital of UK fashion after landing a designer's job with Kangol. Her passion for hats had been ignited long before then though while studying a textiles degree in Cheshire.

"My thesis was on hats in fashion so I went to visit all these museums and galleries around the country. I remember going to the Pit Rivers Museum in Manchester. He was an explorer who had collected all these artefacts from around the world and I was just amazed at all these hats he had discovered. They were breathtaking," says Alison visualising that eclectic bouquet of head ware that had made such an early impact on her life.

After five successful years designing in London with fashion guru's Kangol and Connor Mess a feeling Alison had worked hard holding back began to surface with an overwhelming sense of authority. It was time to come home.

"I was really homesick," remembers Alison who now lives in nearby Crickhowell. "I thought I could progress in London. I mean I was doing very well there, had a comfortable lifestyle, was travelling the world and designing hats that went on sale in stores like Marks and Spencer, BHS and Next. I had always missed the countryside though.

"It was very intense living and working in London and I loved Wales and missed it too much. My experience of life in the industry at that point had been very romantic, but as any creative person will tell you there comes a time when you want to set your own agenda and artistic briefs."

And so in 1990 Aristohats was born in the same stone building in Abergavenny that it remains today.

"From the start with the business, I always wanted to make friends with my suppliers and customers. I don't think it's clever being ruthless in business. It's about building relationships. We're almost like a hairdressers now. People don't just come here to buy a hat they come here to chat, which is really nice," laughs Alison.

Fourteen years on and Alison is now renowned as one of the countries leading hat designers - collections such as Off My Trolley and Off Her Head grabbing the headlines of glossy fashion magazines.

In 1997 she was crowned Wales' Fashion Designer of the Year and two years later was awarded a place among Britain's greatest designers with a permanent slot at London Fashion Week. The turn of the century saw the continuation of her success with an invite to present an exhibition at the Hay-on-Wye Festival in honour of the visiting former US President Bill Clinton.

"He was a lovely man and his speech was enthralling," remembers Alison.

On average she makes around 3,000 hats a year for clients and retailers around the country. Her favourite design though remains the flamboyant explosive-orange creation that won her the Welsh Accessory Designer of the Year in 1996.

"It's such a special hat to me," says Alison. "I keep it locked away out of reach!"