We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chris Wilde a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chris, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

When I first decided to become a milliner I really wanted to perfect the techniques of hat making, but I was never able to fully get it right. I kept making mistakes, the brim was too long on one side, the crown was just right. No matter how many times I tried I couldn’t make it perfect, but then I realized that nothing I did was perfect and that is what was going to set me apart from everyone else, the imperfections to me is what made my pieces different and in my eyes perfectly flawed and a little extra. That is where WILDE was born, I started using unconventional methods to creating my hats and once I learned certain techniques I was able to give them this distressed and aged look. It gave this look and story to them that no one in the hat making industry really has ever done. Every time someone saw my designs the same line “That looks Wilde” always came up so I knew it was meant to be.

Chris, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is chris Wilde Calabrese and I am a milliner and in the beginning hat making was never a thought in my mind. I started off as a stylist in New York and New Jersey, I wanted to add more accessories to my styling, I took a look into western hats and fedoras. I started off by purchasing one for my self from a brand called Makadora hats from New Zealand on Esty. When I purchased my first hat I reached out to the owner and she ended up actually teaching me some of the Techniques to creating a hat and I just fell in love and have been doing it ever since.

In the beginning of my hat making journey I was so frustrated because I could never perfect making a hat but to me nothing is ever meant to be perfect. That is where Wilde was born, the imperfections in my hats to me is what made them perfect, it really showed the true handmade craftsmanship that went into my creations. I never recreate any of my pieces because I want everyone to feel and know that they have this one of a kind piece made just for them.

Another thing I pride myself on is that most of the materials I use are 100% recycled and repurposed, todays fast fashion contributes to a lot of the waste today, I do not want to create more waste I want to do more then just sell products, I want to make an economical impact as well. Custom made hats are also very expensive so I like to give my customers the option to use there own hats that might need some upgrading or a vintage or thrifted hat that I find to keep down the cost for them. Of course I wanna make money but I also want to make my customers feel good about the product that they are buying from me, the art and the feeling my customers get is more important to me then anything.

The most important thing I want my customers to know about me and my business is that fashion is art and I want to give people a chance to express there individuality through me with my work, knowing that they didn’t have to spend thousands of dollars on it. I am proud that my art allows people to feel confident and excited to wear my art that embodies them in so many ways.I like to create experiences and stories with my work that not only helps avoid Unnecessary waste and doesn’t break the bank.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective way I was able to grow my clientele was to really get to my my clients. When I am starting the process of making a custom I call it “Hat Therapy” I like to really get to know the person, understand there style, the way they view life and how they would like to express there individuality with the work I’m about to create for them. It has created this sense of exclusivity.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In the beginning before I started actually selling my products I really wanted to gain the knowledge to create my work. During that time the pandemic happened which effected us all, but it effected me in a positive way as well, it allowed me to have the time to do nothing else but work on my craft learn new techniques and focus on my work. It was a necessary evil which I think for most creatives today helped them realize that they were meant to do what they do now. I feel like the pandemic allowed me to realize that and showed me that no matter what got in the way that this is what I wanted to do from that moment on.

Contact Info:

• Website: Wildeandlovely.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/wilde_styles?igshid=NzNkNDdiOGI=
• Other: https://instagram.com/wildeandlovely?igshid=NzNkNDdiOGI=

Image Credits
https://instagram.com/colleenshotme?igshid=NzNkNDdiOGI= https://instagram.com/antpagephoto?igshid=NzNkNDdiOGI= https://instagram.com/g.vazquezphoto?igshid=NzNkNDdiOGI= https://instagram.com/callmedavy?igshid=NzNkNDdiOGI=