Hoed van zwart, doorschijnend stro c. 1918 - 1920

This is a hat made of black, translucent straw. It has a height of 8 cm and a diameter of 34 cm and was created by Maison Marcel. When I look at the image, I think about the craft involved in its making. The translucence of the material is fascinating—how does the light interact with the straw? It must have been a delicate process to create the symmetry of the shape. I can imagine the designer, patiently weaving the straw, carefully shaping it, and working with the constraints of the material, figuring out how to balance form and structure to create a lightweight yet sturdy object. The hat sits somewhere between a functional object and an expression of adornment. Maybe Maison Marcel was thinking about how people experience the world through objects when making it? I can see the legacy of design and fashion in this piece; a connection to a history of making and creativity.