Nena Kal Hunter, a couture milliner and an interior decorator, specialises in homes and hospitality decor. She studied Fashion and Textiles Design at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, and her striking, whimsical designs have adorned the heads of many celebrities, Royal Ascot beauties and other discerning women around the globe. The daughter of former Imo State Attorney General shares with Adetutu Audu her passion for millinery.
WHAT spurred your interest in millinery business? I had finished my Fashion and Textiles Design degree and just wasn’t satisfied. I wanted to learn more about fashion accessories, so I took short courses on handbags and belts design, but hats were such a puzzle for me. When I looked at a hat, the stitches were not visible and I could not imagine how a round shape could be formed without having to cut and join. Also, I was a regular at the hat department in a store called Selfridges and loved going there to feed my eyes and head with creativity. The designs were fabulous and the prices outrageous and I couldn’t believe some of the hats I saw there were made by people like me. That was when it was clear to me that I wanted to learn to make hats even if it was just for pleasure.
What do you consider when you are designing a hat for your client?
I usually consider the shape of the face, the customer’s budget which is very important, the customer’s height, the colours they are looking at and the date for which they want their hats ready. All these help you advice the customer better.
Where do you draw inspiration for your designs from?
I draw all my inspiration from God Almighty. He is the greatest designer and engineer of all time. Look at the world He created, the animals zebras, leopards, giraffes, jaguars, snakes, birds, peacocks, butterflies, flowers, leaves and their various shapes; the sky, the sea, the stars, the moon, the rainbow…..all of these have colours, shapes and patterns that have been carefully matched to blend. Look at the human palm with every human being and their own unique design, look at the design of the internal human body with every organ doing its job, then externally with two vertical legs carrying the weight of the whole body….isn’t that amazing? That is what you call design and engineering. If you go to places like Dubai, you will see architects trying to duplicate God’s designs, creating homes and hotels on thin bases or on water. It’s all God’s design concept. He created a fantastic world and co-ordinates everything in it accordingly with
every group or category having its own timing of things.
All designers are indeed inspired by God directly or indirectly. I am no exception.
What kind of people do you design for?
The people I design for range from young women in their twenties about to get married who require ‘Asoebi’ hats and fascinators for their wedding to mature women in their seventies and eighties who are life time fashionistas with no plans to retire.
For my interior décor business, my customers are people who find pleasure in investing in beautiful homes or those building new hotels, resorts or office blocks and need a décor expert to carry out design, procurement and installation of goods…
Who influenced you while growing up and what were your childhood
aspirations?
My parents are my role models. They are very talented, honest and hardworking people and I’ve always wanted to be like them. I got my numerous talents from them and knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a fashion and interior designer. At some point, I wanted to be an architect, at some point a gardener, a news reader and a teacher. I never really wanted to follow people, I always wanted to be the shining star and have people follow me.
My parents encouraged my siblings and I to be whatever we wanted to be, but to make sure we excelled in our chosen careers, and, at least, be one of the best in whatever field we chose.
All five of us have these words stuck in our subconscious and we are constantly working hard to be at least one of the best in what we do. They also taught us to be proud of where we came from and do things that would bring our family name up at all times.
What does success mean to you?
Every individual measures success in a different way. For me, it’s the thrill of designing and producing a product which people can place value on, and agree to spend their hard-earned money purchasing it. It also means appreciation from people especially in the same field as I am. Nothing excites me like seeing another milliner or another interior decorator or architect commend my work. That is what I call success. Then, of course, the money and fame aspect is what completes it.
Can you share some of your career high points?
I’ve had so many career high points even from my university days for example, when my swimsuit and sports bra designs were featured on the BBC Clothes Show programme. Apart from winning design competitions at university, this was my very first fifteen minutes of fame in terms of my design career.
In my second year, I was also asked to design a bra and knickers set using two small rugby balls which were hand signed by the England Rugby Team. Footballer’s wife and top TV presenter – Julia Carling – wore my designs to run the London Marathon Race. My designs were later auctioned at Selfridges Department Store in London to raise money for the breakthrough breast cancer appeal. This gave me so much newspaper and TV publicity in the UK.
Then my first ever hat exhibition at Montaigne Place. It was Alali Hart’s idea (the CEO of Montaigne Place) in Victoria Island Lagos, after my aunty Hajiya Uzo Ibrahim told her about me. It was a total success and people spread the word.
City People has also given me two awards as the most creative milliner in Nigeria in 2007 and 2010, and then the numerous kindness of the Nigerian press has been totally amazing in general. Another was when a friend called me and said that posters of me wearing my hat designs were being sold in Ghana, and that a magazine called Ohemaa were offering my posters to readers who subscribed. That was really funny.
You would expect that would make me upset, but in fact I was happy because it was free publicity for my work and my clientele in Ghana increased. My work also made appearances in Whispers magazine USA.
In 2010, my work was being noticed by the international press and featured in high fashion magazines such as Vogue, Brides UK and The Royal Ascot magazine numerous times.
In 2011, my work also made appearances in these magazines and recently, I received an email from the editor of Harpers Bazaar. They also want to do a write up on my work. These are major career high points for me because these magazines are international high fashion magazines read all over the world. Another high point was when I was commissioned by the Canadian Derby to design a hat which was auctioned to raise money for breast cancer. In my mind, I wondered how on earth they found out about me and I got a lot of publicity in Canadian newspapers.
How do you relax?
I relax in so many ways like going on holiday and exploring new things, playing the piano, singing, reading, dancing even though I’ve got two left legs, or just fantasising. I’m a girl who loves the indoors a lot and I derive joy just from being on my own. It’s the ultimate relaxation for me.
How would you describe your style?
Simple, unique, elegant, yet sophisticated. Less is more.
What is your favourite fashion item?
I’m shoe and clutch bag crazy. I have all these fabulous collection of shoes that I don’t usually end up wearing but give them out. They just fascinate me. I keep them in boxes, bring them out once in a while, look at them, wear them, sing and dance in front of the mirror with my microphone, and then chuck them back in their boxes.
No doubt you are beautiful. What is your beauty routine?
I’m a Clarins girl. I’ve used Clarins skincare for so many years now. Then I eat lots of fruits and take vitamins from time to time. Nothing serious really…
What won’t you be caught dead in?
Blue , pink or purple hair and red eye pencil on my eyebrows. I think it’s gross.
You are tilted towards the arts, if not arts, what would you have done.
I can’t think of anything else I would have done that isn’t art-related. I would have been totally lost.
What makes a hat stand out?
What makes a hat stand out is mainly the shape. Shape is very important. That was my first trick of getting my work to stand out in the fashion industry even before I started experimenting with designs. Remember, I told you I didn’t learn how to trim and decorate hats because I had to return to Nigeria, but making hats that had unusual shapes brought me to the lime light.
Then, the finishing of the hat is extremely important because people can see this even from a distance. If they look at a hat that is supposed to be pretty, they may not know why it looks a bit off on the model’s head, but most times, it’s the finishing that’s the problem.
There are stage by stage techniques of finishing couture hats that are not known to many Nigerian milliners and it affects the overall look of their designs.
Both of these factors I have mentioned are key to making a hat stand out before materials, colours, accessories come in. Then the person wearing the hat and the way they carry themselves matter. For example, if you make a gorgeous hat for someone who has no confidence at all, the hat would never stand out as it should. Hats look better on girls with inner confidence, on those who walk straight with shoulders high, chest out and a lovely smile.
At what point did you move into interior décor
I started interior décor in 2005. It was a brand new house which I shared with my sister and brother and I designed the colour scheme, made the curtains, throw pillows, helped my carpenter sew the leather upholstery sofas as I have a computerised machine that sews perfect stitches on leather and lots more. Everyone who visited loved what I had done especially with my dining and living room area and the general feel of the house. The choice of colours and arrangement of items had a calming effect on my visitors. It affected them psychologically and positively but they couldn’t tell what it was.
Soon after, friends started ordering my throw pillows which inspired me to design my first collection. People wanted their rooms done up, offers for complete home furnishings started to come and then guest houses….
One of my most recent jobs which fascinated me was designing the new wing interior and all the public areas of Morning Side Suites. I was called in at a time the building was not yet fully completed. It had a good structure and the owner trusted my design taste since I had previously done the décor of his country home.
