Pompilio
Elvis (1961). Belgian hat designer, who trained at the Lièges School of Plastic Arts. After his studies he worked in the advertising serigraphy sector for five years, during which time he developed a marked leaning towards hat design. His rather eccentric creations for men and women made of linen, straw, velvet, felt, and plastic soon caught the attention of personalities like Madonna and Harrison Ford. His Lièges apartment-atelier-showroom soon became too small to accommodate the growing orders coming in from designers like Valentino, Christian Dior, Thierry Mugler, and Anne Demeulemester. He opened his first shop in Brussels in 1990, and another in Antwerp soon after. He was awarded the Victor Prize and started showing his collections in Paris. A true “fashion star,” Pompilio wears his own creations and models them himself on the runway, earning the respect of the fashion crowd. He represented Belgium at the Seville International Expo in June 1992. In September 2003 he started selling a children’s range of hats. After the launch of the Hats International Group, that involved a team of about twenty collaborators, in 2000 Pompilio signed an agreement with Chanel, working on their haute couture and ready-to-wear collections. On 30 June 2002 he closed his Brussels boutique, and then in December his Parisian boutique, after presenting his Fall-Winter 2002-2003 collection. The reason was clear and simple: “I’ve been working 7 days a week for 15 years. In order to do this well I have to oversee everything. It’s too much, really too much.” He continues to create hats, but accepts clients only by appointment. Pompilio has been running his own school for milliners since September 2002.