Art Works: Clare Leavy

Friday 21 August 2015
reading time: min, words
What does glitter, pineapples and a truck load of colour have in common? Clare Leavy, that's what
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Pineapple Passion

Pineapple Passion

I created this fascinator
as a custom order for a 21st birthday – she requested a pineapple for the main asset. I wanted to incorporate flowers, glitter and boldness to make the headpiece extra special for her ‘Hat and Glitter’ event.

I began researching tropical Hawaiian colour schemes, then sourced a pineapple at the perfect scale, colour and weight. I attached the base to the headband, covered it with large petals and glittered the pineapple twice to ensure it sparkled all night. Then I added a large base flower and attached the pineapple, which enabled me to build up flowers around it to balance out its height. Finally, I added the finishing touches – glittered leaves and smaller flowers.

Recently I’ve converted my spare bedroom into my own little work palace – this allows me to have a clearer mind for new ideas and inspiration. There’s also space for me to store my crazy bits and bobs instead of just working at the kitchen table.

Headcase began in September 2014. I started making pieces here and there for friends to take to events and festivals but my daughter suggested I start my own company. With the support from my daughter, husband and friends, I began my journey through social media and creating seasonal pieces for Halloween and Christmas. I thought it would be a slow start, but I was wrong. Word spread quickly and I was receiving orders for all types of occasions: baby showers, hen weekends, fancy dress parties, and even weddings.

The most rewarding thing is seeing my customers’ reactions – when they love the head piece as much as I loved creating it. The birthday girl was over the moon with her pineapple fascinator and said she’d be wearing it to Glastonbury Festival too. I like to keep in contact with my customers so I can receive feedback and photos of them wearing Headcase. I posted pictures onto my social media sites of the pineapple piece and the response was amazing. I tend to only make bespoke, one-off pieces but since creating the pineapple fascinator, I’ve made two more.

I love that each day my workload and style varies. I also thrive on being given the freedom to create something if the customer isn’t too sure what they want. My dream would be to create a piece for Paloma Faith – she always dresses to impress and it would give me a great opportunity to make something extra kooky for one of her live performances.

Headcase Headwear on Facebook

 

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