The HATalk Hat Making Competition is a major annual fashion competition where participants are tasked with creating a hat or headdress based on a given theme. The challenge set for this year's competition was to create a hat or headdress where equilibrium was a central part of the design. The pot included prizes worth £45,000, including the opportunity to showcase their hats at the Official Exhibition of London Hat Week 2019 - World Garden - taking place 3-12 April 2019 at the Menier Gallery.

Among the participants was Catharina Carlsson, who works in Umeå and has her studio in Holmsund. She calls her entry in the competition The Balancing Act and it is made of straw, lace, silk and pearls, among other things.

Nature is an important source of inspiration for me and we need to live in balance with it in order not to destroy more than we have already done. To symbolise this in the hat, I let the insect balance on the brim of the hat, says Catharina.

To determine the winners of the competition, the jury assessed the quality of the workmanship, the originality of the design and the interpretation of the theme. The competition was won by fashion designer Stefania Belfiore from Italy with her entry Equilart. In fierce competition, Umeå-based designer Catharina received an honourable mention from the jury and a top 15 ranking.
In 2017, Catharina came second in the competition.

And see Catharina's entry in this year's competition, The Balancing Art, here:
https://hatalk.com/2019_comp_entry/catharina-carlsson/

Read about the winners of the competition here:
https://hatalk.com/2019-hatalk-hat-making-competition-winners/

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