(CBS DETROIT) – “My job is to compliment the outfit, not necessarily the centerpiece,” says Rachelle Willnus, creator of Derby Hats by Rachelle.
When it comes to high fashion, Willnus goes to work and derby.
“I make, create and design derby hats. I use high quality materials, but they are feathers and flowers and just an expression of femininity, fullness and glamour,” she said.
It’s a career path she fell into while helping her children in theater.
“I realized I loved it. Then my husband and his brother won a huge package for the Kentucky Derby. He said, ‘You know, I can make my own hat. I’ve done costumes,’ and I loved it , ” she said. “And I went to the Derby and got a lot of compliments. People said, ‘Oh, can you make mine?’ And before you know it, I had a business. And now, fifteen years later, I’m still doing this.”
To create such elaborate designs, Willnus imports its materials from countries such as England, Australia and the Netherlands.
No matter how diverse her clientele is, she often collaborates with different women to show that high fashion has no place for barriers.
“We wanted to do something where we showed different women from different cultures how beautiful they can be as models, and that more designers should use women of color and different nationalities to show the style, because these women were selling my product,” said she.
“I think women in the 50 age group are naturally looking for what you can do later in life, you know, just like we think we’re done at a certain age. And I would say I feel reinvented. I feel like I’m at a point where I can create a new interest for myself, and I’m self-actualized enough that I feel like this is an expression of me.
Amyre Makupson
