Giulia Mio
‘Midas's Touch’
Midas's Touch is inspired by the artist Alphonse Mucha's work ""Rêverie"" (Daydreaming) and the famous Greek myth of King Midas, who was gifted by the gods the ability to transform everything he touched in pure gold. I have always been captivated by the exquisite flower arrangement of Mucha's lithographies; still, I wanted to add a deeper meaning to the whole piece: as we daydream into our existence, we are oblivious to how our desire for wealth is killing the Planet, transforming Life into cold gold—beautiful and precious but lifeless.
This headpiece is a hymn to hope, a reminder that Beauty and Nature are still around us, and we need to keep nurturing them before we suffocate them.
Price: £2700.
“Heritage is not just perpetuating tradition; to me, it is how we use today what was developed in the past, constantly giving it new life and meaning.
Flower-making is a set of skills developed to recreate flowers and greenery to decorate hats and gowns; it is a practical and noble use. In other traditions, in Japan in particular, silk flowers are made for their own sake, to decorate homes and spaces, and to create a permanent connection with Nature.
My aim is to try to blend these two heritages to find my language and communicate my view of the world through my art.”
Materials and Techniques
To create Midas's Touch, I used a mix of millinery techniques to build a floating structure upon which to arrange my flowers. I selected different types of silks and velvet to create a wide range of textures for every kind of flower, all based on the original lithography by Mucha. I also choose vintage stamens to complete the look. Once everything was decided, I cut, painted, and shaped all the flowers, combining colours and textures while creating the arrangement.
To finish the look, I added 5 floating quills to add more movement and spatiality to the final design. The last touch was the fine metallic gold spray to gild the flowers, topped with gold gilding paste and pigments to accentuate the metallic feeling.
Millinery Heritage
“I became a milliner by “”accident””! I was training as a costume designer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, and we were asked to make some turbans and hats for an opera. It felt instinctively natural to me, and I decided to change path, focusing at first on theatrical millinery. I soon realised my hands (and head) wanted to take me in another direction: couture millinery.
I didn’t know where to start, so I looked at the past and our heritage to train my brain (and hands) to treasure small details and impeccable finishes and take the time to execute everything at its best. Heritage is around us every day; it is not something sitting in a museum waiting to be studied—it is in our hands, and we need to keep it alive by using it!
One of my grandmothers was an experienced dressmaker, but she never had the chance to teach me. My other granny was a nurse, but she was taught how to embroider and make lace when she was a child, and I remember spending lazy summer afternoons learning all of that while my grandfather was having his post-lunch nap!
Both my grannies taught me the value of patience and taking the time to do things properly, so in a certain way, they are my connection to the way I am a milliner today.”
About Giulia Mio
Giulia Mio is an Italian, award-winning couture milliner devoted to crafting hats and headpieces from the finest materials with an immaculate finish. Her style is a captivating blend of Fashion and Nature, mixed with the influence of Arts that adds an element of surprise, reflecting her love for the unexpected and uncanny. Trained in traditional millinery, she has always been drawn to new techniques and innovative materials.
Giulia has become known for her silk and leather flowers, which are entirely hand-painted and hand-made and adorn many of her creations, becoming her trademark.
Her hats are all one-of-a-kind pieces, carefully designed to surprise and impress from all angles. Her bespoke commissions are always unique and tailored to her clients' needs, carefully thought out to enhance their outfits, looks, and personalities.
She became a member of the British Hat Guild in 2020.