From wandering hippie to business entrepreneurhow Nick Fouquetbuilt a luxury hat-making business from scratch.
Los Angeles hat-maker Nick Fouquet, 35, creates ready-to-wear headwear that’s captured the attention of celebrities such as David Beckham, Madonna and Diane Keaton. His bespoke millinery fuses French bourgeoisie cues with a bohemian vagabond all in the name of bringing hats back to the high street.
Since launching his luxury company four years ago, Fouquet has found a niche in a market often filled with replicas and wannabes. What makes his work so unique is his artisanal aesthetic—there are straw hats that point to the 1970s Woodstock era, top hats for a gentlemanly nod, and gypsy vibes with frayed rims for lazy summer vacations.
“I never thought I would become a businessman,” says Fouquet, who has a studio in Venice Beach, California. “It really was something that was hard for me to wrap my head around because I didn’t think art and commerce could be unified. I was the kind of guy who thought you can’t be an artist and a businessman, but that is totally false, they can live together and I am proof of it.”
Born in New York, Fouquet spent the first seven years of his life living in the south-west of France where his French father’s family is from. He recalls spending time at farmer’s markets and at his grandmother Colette’s fabric shop, which she ran with her own mother.
As a pre-teen he smoked cigarettes all in the name of French love—because in the 1980s in France a child could buy cigarettes without anyone batting an eyelid.
“I threw up for five minutes after trying to impress an older girl on a date. I was 12 and smoked an entire packet. How ridiculous,” he reminisces.
Denne historien er fra October 2018-utgaven av Esquire Singapore.
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Denne historien er fra October 2018-utgaven av Esquire Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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