Freifrau x Maryam Keyhani
Internationally renowned hat-maker Maryam Keyhani and Freifrau Manufaktur from Lemgo, Germany, have joined forces to – if you’ll permit a pun – pull something out of the hat to surprise and delight the crowd. Their journey together was one of mutual inspiration and of thinking different, abandoning established categories to let their imaginations run free – and then applying expert handcraft.
The result is something which could be a hat or a cushion, a pouffe or headwear: you decide!
The strictly limited artist edition of these expressive and unusual cushions is available exclusively in Maryam Keyhani's online shop:
INTERVIEW
Dear Maryam, a hat is a rarely seen accessory these days. Where does your fascination for this type of headgear come from?
I love hats because they are like the cherry on the cake. They bring joy and lightness. And we can really use that in these times, which are not always easy to digest. I wish more people would dare to dress more individually, for example with a nice hat on their head.
There's something incredibly wonderful, almost fairytale-like about you, your whole appearance, your hat collections. Where does the inspiration for this total work of art come from?
For me, inspiration always arises in such a way that I don't even realise it, it often creeps in unconsciously. It appears when it wants and how it wants - it's really difficult to recognise a certain pattern. The important thing is to allow everything to happen, to remain open and not to be afraid.
When you're being creative - whether designing for Freifrau, creating hats, or painting - how do you go about it? Where do you start?
The form of the object comes first, but its character is just as importance. Also, an absolutely essential element of my work is humour: you don’t get far without it. Then there are the possibilities which handcraft brings with it: whether veteran milliners in Italy or upholstery specialists at Freifrau’s Lemgo workshop, what these people can do never ceases to amaze me.
Do you have pieces of furniture or objects which have been with you for a lifetime? What makes the kind of object which will last for generations?
Things get handed down from generation to generation when they become seen as characters, as fellows, not simply as objects. For me, all of the objects I create and live with are friends, never just things.
