Il Viaggio delle Dee

Goddess Voyage

27 September - 07 November, 2017

Spring Carnival Collection Events, Melbourne

Entering the lab of Stefano, aka Steven, is like entering Alice’s Wonderland,free from time boundaries where you can express yourself through fantasy. Madness becomes genius and hats become wearable art objects.

Stefano inherited a deep passion for millinery from an old craftsman, a gift of alchemy: the mixture of natural fabrics and manual treatments give Felt and Sinamay the distinctive softness of a life sculptures.

Stefano can create a unique hat, a wearable sculpture that can matchyour personality, your sense of style and desire by modelling Sinamayin a musical form.

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THE PROGRAMTHE ORIGINSTHE ARTWORKSSTEFANO AND GAIA
2017

Program

27 September

Dinner organised by European Women in Business
Vintage High Tea: 6.00pm - 9.30pm

1 October

"Pizza, Jazz and Millinery" Party
3.00pm - 7.00pm

7 October

Bini Gallery
4.00pm - 7.00pm

8 October

Kangan Institute, Millinery Show
12.30pm - 4.00pm

14 October

Dinner Launch Calabrese Cultural Association"
7.00pm - 10.00pm

19 October

Catwalk organised by City of Melbourne - La Bella Vita Federation Square

25 October

Australian Asian Foundation, in association with Women empowering Women, fundraising aperitif

7 November

Melbourne Cup - Fashion on the field
Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
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The Origins

Stefano, a.k.a Steven of Steven’s Hats, hails from the town of Cosenza in the south of Italy. His creations, which are all hand-made, are so fantastical that Segmento magazine recently dubbed him the Mad Hatter, after the character of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Since founding Steven’s Hats in 2006, his creations have amassed a substantial following outside of Italy, especially after winning third prize at the prestigious international competition Amis del Capè in Alessandria, Piedmont.
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None other than Lady Borsalino, the only surviving family member of legendary Italian hat makers the House of Borsalino, presented the award to Stefano.  

In his rapid-fire cosentino dialect, Stefano said he received the award for a ceremonial modular-style hat that can be dismantled and reconstructed depending on the occasion, a creation both extravagant and functional.
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Stefano has worked with various textiles, making personalised hats for both men and women. But for Il Viaggio delle Dee he was inspired by ancient Greek and Roman goddesses to create “wearable sculptures” exclusively for women and exclusively from sinamay straw.
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Manager

Shanna Orn

Financial Director

Timothy Bailey

Manager

Jon Breitenberg

Designer

Bertrand Bergstrom

Account Director

Destini Hauck

Manager

Shanna Orn

The artworks

From Bernini's

The Abduction of Proserpina

Black and Red Ink on Paper
24 x 33 cm, Rome 2011

From Canova's

The Three Graces

Black and Red Ink on Paper
33 x 48 cm, Rome 2012

From Bernini's

The Abduction of Proserpina

Black and Red Ink on Paper
24 x 33 cm, Rome 2011
Caption to be provided

This latest collection is absolutely born of instinct, Stefano has explained, and his hands have worked the straw as if he were playing a musical instrument. Above all, he cherishes nature as a fountain of inspiration and from this feeling for nature came visions of Goddesses who were in antiquity the personifications of natural elements like water, sun, moon, earth and also love.

Melbourne-based stylist, Lynette Pater, who has worked with Steven’s Hats for the fashion site, Beauty Shall Save the World, will take centre stage with Stefano at several of his scheduled events, including Myer’s Fashion on the Field on Cup Day. She notes that what Stefano creates are really beautiful examples of how you do not need much, other than a fabulous hat, to capture the attention of everyone in the room.

Stefano and GAIA

But Il Viaggio delle Dee is more than a showcase for an extraordinary talent. For Giovanni Butera, founding director of GAIA, this touring exhibition of Stefano’s latest collection is also about making connections and sharing skills and ideas. One of the highlights of this exhibition is an event hosted by Kangan Institute at the Westin Hotel. This event is a precursor to establishing a collaborative venture between Kangan’s millinery course and Stefano’s atelier in Cosenza. The venture will offer graduates an opportunity to further their artistry and experience. And there is still more. Il Viaggio delle Dee is also an opportunity to promote and raise funds for GAIA’s charitable works.

Stefano is graciously donating proceeds from his exhibition to developing the first stage of GAIA’s international exchange program, which is aimed at attracting young and disadvantaged artists from all over the world.
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