The Hat Project

I've always loved that expression because I think there's something deeply symbolic about it. We all wear different hats throughout our lives - figuratively and sometimes literally. The hats we choose can say something about who we are, where we've been, what we value and the roles we play.

For a long time I've had a passion project in mind: creating a series of striking portraits of people wearing their favourite hat.

My Aunty Eileen spent most of her life in Manhattan - one of the most electrifying urban environments on earth - dense, layered and relentlessly alive.

Yet every time she came out to New Zealand, it was our hat culture that stopped her in her tracks. She’d say to me

“YOU’VE GOT TO SHOOT KIWIS IN THEIR HATS - IT’S SO CLASSIC!”

That idea has stayed with me for decades. Through the years I've noticed exactly what she noticed, and simply enjoyed the way Kiwis love their hats — how it's woven into who we are and probably always will be. Whether it's the classic bach hat your grandfather wore in the garden, or a considered fashion statement, we don't just wear hats, WE LOVE THEM!

It's a social observation, and an observation of human behaviour. Our hats are part of our identity.

This project is is dedicated to my late aunty Eileen.