Saturday, 19 January 2013

Treasured Items... Ochuko Ojiri

"I have a fine head of red hair thank you very much but occasionally it is covered by a Bowler, Trilby, Panama, Beret, Plantation, Beretta, one of a whole host of wooly hats, there is a Stetson if I were to look for it and caps galore. I've pretty much got the entire gamut of head gear in the house," reeled out writer, broadcaster and hat connoisseur Robert Elms excitedly on Woman's Hour last week. As the Radio 4 programme  asked the question, 'what leads a man to wear a hat today?', it is clear that Elms is in the minority of passionate hat wearers. There have been many golden eras where a man would consider an outfit incomplete, consider himself naked even, without a hat. These sentiments have certainly dwindled but thankfully, they have not been totally lost. Pelican & Parrots' very own Ochuko Ojiri is almost, always wearing a hat. Watching over his treasure trove of curiosities, a cocktail of contemporary furniture and objects sitting alongside one off vintage pieces, Ochuko is rarely seen without a hat. The form might change according to need or fancy but whatever silhouette it takes, a hat is a constant fixture. Here, he shares his Sunday Best.
----------

Ochuko and the Sunday best hat

IMG_9073

"For as long as I can remember, I've worn a hat everyday. I think it goes back to growing up in the 70s and 80s and seeing these old black guys in their hats, accessorising those sharp suits. More than being under dressed, I feel undressed without a hat. People fail to recognise me if, for whatever reason, I am hat less. Hats are an important part of my look.

I've got so many hats. Every hat you can imagine. I tend to go through cycles of obsessions. I've recently been really in to tweed flat caps. This particular hat is my more formal hat, my Sunday hat and I've been wearing it on and off for the last ten years." Ochuko Ojiri.
----------

View the original article here

No comments:

Post a Comment