Virna Pasquinelli

 
 

Virna Pasquinelli is a multi-disciplinary creative whose work extends from millinery and mixed media textiles to set design and installations.

Taking inspiration from urban life and its subcultural fringes and framed by the classical sophistication and romance of her Italian upbringing, amongst the majestic art, architecture and mythology that formed the Roman roots of her childhood.

Virna Pasquinelli’s hats encourage the wearer to step beyond their usual selves and explore their alter ego(s). Theatrically honed, her hats are robustly playful yet shining with avant-garde brilliance, so no matter how physical things become, you'll never lose your head!

All her work is meticulously and lovingly handcrafted with technical detail, creative prowess and a dynamic imagination, using premium quality materials as well as re-purposed and upcycled, to create genuinely stunning headwear accentuating textures and silhouettes.

Each piece has a personality, a story and a role to play, no matter how subtle, discrete, loud or proud.

Virna learned the art of millinery at Kensington and Chelsea College. After graduating in 2013, she became production manager at Piers Atkinson while freelancing for some of the top British milliners, including Jane Taylor and Philip Treacy, to name a few. She then progressed into theatrical millinery, managing the studio of Rizvi Millinery Thehattix, working on a series of award winning global productions, including Disney’s The Lion King, Aladdin and many others.

She set up her studio in 2018 in the leafy hills of Surrey, south of London, where she runs workshops and collaborates with fashion and costume designers, art directors and photographers, whilst creating bespoke gender free and fashion-forward hats and headwear, cut with an edgy and urban undertone, challenging preconceptions.

She was awarded a QEST scholarship in December 2021, which has inspired a host of new crafts and techniques, including metal and glass work, mixed media textile and creative basketry, extending an already bulging box of creative capability and accommodating the eclectic and rapidly evolving nature of our times and culture.