Fresh Fashion Talent

Continuing our Fresh Talent series with Lenor, designer Rosie Olivia reveals what inspires her

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Her internships with top milliners Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones inspired Rosie Olivia to start her own business.

So when her sister moved out of the family home, Rosie decided to turn her bedroom into a makeshift studio and, with funding from the Prince's Trust, things grew from there.

Just two years later, this talented Liverpudlian has already seen one of her designs grace the head of one young celebrity. Rosie hopes that soon her hats will be on the heads of A-listers everywhere.

In the meantime, they can be found in Fenwick on London’s Bond Street. She also creates bespoke pieces for individual clients.

As part of the Lenor Fresh Talent showcase, Rosie has been inspired by the Gold Orchid fragrance from Lenor's range of fabric softeners to create designs that are as powerful as they are delicate. Focusing on the orchid's petals as well as the graceful stem, these hats have a definite flamboyance. Scroll through the pictures below to see Rosie’s illustrations and influences.

Illustration The illustration inspired by Lenor's Gold Orchid captures the flower's flamboyance

Audrey Hepburn She has one of those faces that just suits hats. I have an image of Hepburn in My Fair Lady - the racing scene - that hangs in my studio and is a constant source of inspiration. Karl Lagerfeld I recently went to Lagerfeld's photography exhibition, The Little Black Jacket. The idea was to photograph celebrities all wearing the same jacket in different ways. It made me realise how much you can do with just one simple hat block.

Flowers I love fresh flowers so it's natural that I try to replicate different parts of a bloom within my hat design. I usually do this by manipulating fabrics and working with three-dimensional outlines.

Stephen Jones When I was working with Stephen Jones I learned that every hat is a unique work of art.

My scrap book I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so even my books are neat. I always draw in black on white and keep things very organised.

See our 'Get the Look' gallery inspired by Rosie's design.

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