‘Transformative and fun’ is how Stephen Jones characterises his life’s work – millinery – in the introduction to his latest monograph, Souvenirs, penned by Susannah Frankel, and with a touching foreword by his close friend, Grace Coddington.
From the first chapter – opening with a telegraph Jones’ father sent in joyful response to his wife’s pregnancy of their son – the book, published by Rizzoli, is a detailed and elaborately illustrated chronicle that traces Jones’ life and career through photographs, sketches and ephemera, spanning Liverpool to New York.
‘A cat has nine lives, but I think a milliner has 30!’ exclaimed Jones ahead of the book’s launch. Reminiscing over the many instances of instrumental moments and chance meetings, he adds: ‘There were many things that I thought were surprisingly influential, for example, meeting [Italian fashion writer] Anna Piaggi. I met her so long ago in the 1980s and she was just an extraordinary person. I didn’t realise our lives would be intertwined as much as they were.’
There are many turning points in Jones’ 40-year long career: studying fashion at the illustrious Central Saint Martins in 1976; opening his first London shop in 1980; and his increasing success in Paris, fostered by fervent supporters Jean-Paul Gaultier and John Galliano. But Jones’ imaginative work also brought him to Antwerp and Tokyo, where he continues to create avant-garde headpieces for Walter Van Beirendonck and Rei Kawakubo.
Throughout the pages of Souvenirs, Jones’ joy for his craft and the fun he has with his collaborators is evident. Jones' life – music, friendships, art – fuels his rich creative output.
Working on the book, Jones adds, '[I have] telescoped all my experiences of 59 years into 250 pages. And as we’re in the fashion industry, we’re always thinking about the future or what’s going to be next, and it’s actually quite strange to look back and see how many different things I’ve done. It almost seems like somebody else.’
Jones just off the plane on his first trip to New York, arriving at photographer Larry Williams’ studio on 23 April, 1982. Right: a sketch of the hat Jones always longed to make – a traffic cone hat.
Left: initial crown ideas for Comme des Garçons spring/summer 2006. Right: a fresh take on headscarves for Christopher Kane in wire plastic, for autumn/winter 2016. .
Left: Stephen Linard, left, and Jones at the St Moritz Club, London, in 1980. Right: an example of Lawrence Mynott’s evocative illustrations of the life cycle of a hat for the exhibition catalogue Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones at the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2009
Published by Rizzoli, Souvenirs celebrates Jones’ extraordinary career and creations
INFORMATION
Souvenirs, £95, published by Rizzoli
-
Why champagne pairs beautifully with fine foodMaison Krug unites champagne with decadent cuisine in the latest edition of its ‘Single Ingredient’ adventure, in collaboration with globally renowned Michelin-starred chefs who enhance the flavours and aromas of Krug Grande Cuvée or Krug Rosé
-
Australian surf culture merges with the charm of the Mediterranean at Il DelfinoIl Delfino, designed by Sheree Commerford, is a restored 1940s seaside inn nestled on the Yamba coastline in Australia
-
Meet Scotland's best new building: The Burrell Collection wins Doolan 2024The Doolan 2024 award crowns The Burrell Collection in Glasgow as Scotland's finest building this year, celebrating its comprehensive recent refurbishment
-
Fashion’s favourite bookstore, Climax, opens a ‘sexy, angry’ New York outpostWallpaper* catches up with Isabella Burley, founder of Climax, as she inaugurates a New York outpost of the cult bookstore and showcases a playful new collaboration with fashion label Chopova Lowena
-
Inside Karl Lagerfeld’s extraordinary Paris library and bookshop, a haven for the bibliophileWe take an exclusive tour of Karl Lagerfeld’s Paris bookshop and library 7L, which is keeping the legendary fashion designer’s vision alive with a scintillating programme of cultural events
-
Jouissance: the perfume brand turning erotic French literature into subversive scentsJouissance has interpreted the literature of Anaïs Nin, Anne Desclos and Catherine Millet into perfume, brand founder Cherry Cheng tells Wallpaper*
-
Remembering Liquid Sky, the cult 1990s New York fashion store that was ‘also a scene’As a new book is released, Liquid Sky founders Claudia Rey and Carlos Slinger tell Wallpaper’s Mary Cleary about the downtown fashion store that attracted New York’s underground and had Chloë Sevigny as a sales clerk
-
Guido Palau completely transforms Kaia Gerber’s hair in new book ‘Hidden Identities’Guido Palau and Kaia Gerber have collaborated on a book project, Hidden Identities, which sees the model sport a plethora of different wigs in technicolour shades
-
’Issey Miyake: 1960 to 2022’ is a definitive guide to the pioneering Japanese designer’Issey Miyake: 1960 to 2022’ is a new Taschen book that provides a comprehensive overview of the pioneering Japanese designer’s ’poetic but pragmatic’ work
-
Thom Browne on his 20th-anniversary book, curated by Andrew Bolton‘Thom Browne’ the book, a collaboration with partner Andrew Bolton, charts the American designer’s career. Here, Browne tells Wallpaper* the story behind his first monograph
-
The finest fashion books for style enthusiastsThe fashion books taking pride of place on the Wallpaper* style desk, from enticing photographic tomes to rare limited-edition titles. Here, the Wallpaper* team pick the best new releases
