HAT TRICK: Stephen Jones is adding a dose of millinery pizzazz to the most unglamorous of industries — insurance. In an unlikely project, Jones has designed three hats for the British insurer Hiscox to reflect the latter’s new research into the plight of small business owners.
According to Hiscox, 23 percent of small business owners in the U.K. wear as many as five “hats” a week, including accountant, social media manager, IT helpdesk assistant and head of marketing.
Some 88 percent of those surveyed said they feel “overwhelmed or out of their depth” because of all the tasks they’re forced to do outside their main role. Often, they resort to YouTube for a quick training session.
Stephen Jones’ styles for the British insurer Hiscox with designs meant to reflect the many “hats” that small business owners often wear.
Jones, who spends his time designing seasonal collections and styles for high-net-worth clients and brands including Dior, took the gig seriously, creating three hats that reflect the drama of day life as a small business owner.
One style features a sculptural desktop computer with embroidered “wheel of death” and other glitching symbols. It has a veil scattered with keyboard keys and comes with an elaborate hat pin in the shape of a mouse.
Another one has a red telephone receiver framed by numerous sets of floating lips and little Perspex marketing flags that say “Kerching!” “Sale” and “Hi!”
The third is white, light blue and green — the color of money — and showcases delicate, faux 5 pound banknotes, currency symbols and a big bow made from a receipt. The flouncy hat resembles the one that Eliza Doolittle wore to the races in “My Fair Lady.”
One of Stephen Jones’ hats for the British insurer Hiscox.
Jones said he feels for small business owners because he is one of them.
“As a milliner and small business owner, I wear many hats in business, but it’s the metaphorical ones that are the hardest to pull off,” he said.
“You’re expected to be a finance expert, IT whizz, and salesman to name but a few, and this project is a love letter to the small business owners doing it all themselves. The hats bring those everyday roles to life. They’re energetic, and charming like the small business owners they represent,” Jones added.
Ed Birth, head of brand at Hiscox UK, said running a small business can be “exciting, exhilarating, unpredictable and at times overwhelming. It’s a steep learning curve and a balancing act that most handle exceptionally well. This collection captures the daily juggle that business owners face, and we love how creatively Stephen has brought this reality to life.”
A sketch for the Head of Sales hat designed by Stephen Jones for the British insurer Hiscox.