We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marquise Burns a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Marquise , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Honestly, I learned everything through pure curiosity and hustle. I didn’t go to school for hat-making, I taught myself from the ground up. I studied how the best in the craft moved, whether it was on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. I’d watch how they blocked, steamed, and shaped their hats, then go practice until I got it right. I read everything I could find on their websites, learned their stories, and pulled inspiration from different cultures I experienced while traveling with my wife. Every crown I made taught me something new, patience, precision, and storytelling through design.
If I could go back, I’d invest in better tools sooner and connect with other makers earlier. In the beginning, I tried to do everything with what I had, which taught me a lot, but also slowed me down. Once I got the right equipment and learned how to source materials globally, everything changed. I would’ve also started networking more, building relationships with other artists, suppliers, and stylists early on would’ve accelerated everything.
Creativity, discipline, and storytelling. Hat making isn’t just shaping felt, it’s shaping emotion into something wearable. You need an eye for design, but also patience to get every detail right. Business skills, like sourcing, branding, and customer experience, became just as essential as the art itself. And above all, consistency, showing up every day for your craft.
Access and time. When you’re self-taught, there’s no roadmap, it’s trial, error, and repetition. I didn’t have mentors in the beginning, so I had to figure out every mistake on my own. Balancing my day job, my travels, and building Burns Brims meant I learned in pockets of time, late nights, early mornings, hotel rooms. But those challenges forced me to get sharper and more creative with how I learned.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Marquise Burns, creator and owner of Burns Brims, a handmade custom hat company where every piece is treated as wearable art. I like to say that I don’t just make hats, I tell stories through them. Each brim represents a part of the wearer’s personality, culture, and journey. My brand is about crafting crowns, not just accessories, every design is meant to make the person wearing it feel seen, powerful, and original.
My journey into hat-making started out of pure curiosity and self discovery. I didn’t come from a fashion background or go to school for design, I’m completely self taught. I studied the craft through countless hours of research, trial and error, and watching other hatmakers I admired online. I learned to block, shape, and paint hats by hand, teaching myself the discipline behind the details. Traveling the world with my wife, exposed me to different cultures, styles, and materials that deeply influence my work. Those experiences helped me build Burns Brims into a brand with a global soul and a local heart.
What sets Burns Brims apart is the level of intentionality and storytelling behind every design. I don’t believe in mass production for the sake of trends. Every piece I create is one-of-one, hand-burned, painted, and customized down to the smallest feather, spike, or fabric wrap. My hats have found homes with entertainers, chefs, artists, and everyday people who simply want to wear something meaningful.
Beyond the art itself, Burns Brims solves a deeper problem, helping people reconnect with identity and confidence through personal expression. When clients put on one of my hats, they’re not just completing an outfit; they’re stepping into a version of themselves that commands attention and respect. I often say, “A crown is just a reflection of the one wearing it.”
What I’m most proud of is the evolution, from experimenting in my living room to seeing my hats featured on celebrities and creatives I respect. But even more than that, I’m proud that Burns Brims has become a symbol of craftsmanship, authenticity, and resilience. It’s proof that you can teach yourself anything if you stay curious, dedicated, and true to your vision.
For anyone new to my work, I want them to know that Burns Brims isn’t just a hat brand. It’s a lifestyle, a mindset, and a story stitched together from passion, travel, and purpose. Every hat carries a piece of my journey, but it’s designed to tell yours.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being an artist is watching something that once lived only in my imagination come to life, and then seeing how it moves people. Every hat I create starts as an idea, a feeling, or a story I can’t shake. Then I get to bring it into the world, shape it with my hands, and watch it transform into something that carries meaning for somebody else. That moment when a client puts on their hat, looks in the mirror, and you can see their energy shift, that’s the reward.
For me, creativity isn’t just about making things look good, it’s about connection. Each design is personal. It’s a reflection of a journey, a memory, or a statement someone wants to make without saying a word. Knowing that my art helps people express themselves, feel seen, and step into their confidence… that’s what keeps me creating.
Art has also been a mirror for my own growth. It’s taught me patience, humility, and resilience. So, the real reward is both ways, I get to create something that speaks to others while learning more about myself in the process.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Absolutely. My mission has always been to create more than just hats, I’m building wearable art that tells stories. Each crown represents individuality, confidence, and legacy. I want people to feel something when they put on a Burns Brims hat, not just look good, but feel seen. My goal is to remind people that style and self-expression are powerful forms of storytelling.
At the heart of it, my creative journey is about transformation, taking pain, experience, and inspiration from all over the world and turning it into art that people can literally wear. I want Burns Brims to serve as proof that purpose can be found in passion and that you can turn what you love into something that inspires others.
Long term, my mission is to continue expanding Burns Brims globally, collaborating with artists, traveling to source materials, and teaching others about the craftsmanship behind hat-making. But more than anything, I want my work to inspire other creatives and entrepreneurs to believe that their vision is worth building, no matter where they start.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Burnsbrims.com
- Instagram: @burnsbrims
- Facebook: Burns Brims / Marquise Burns
- Linkedin: Marquise Burns
- Youtube: Desi & Quise Wanderlove
- Other: Other Instagram:
Mrwide_world
Desiandquise_wanderloveTikTok:
Mrwide_world
