Michiko Ueda began studying under the famed hat designer Akio Hirata in the late ’80s and, in 1995, branched out on his own and created the brand cœur. In 2014 he opened his atelier shop in the historic Shibakawa building in Osaka. From there, expanding his company’s footprint even further by establishing cœur Homme and a separate men’s brand, nivernois.
For both brands, the concept focuses on creating haute couture designs and pairing that with the same level of craftsmanship that is expected. Styles are derived from classic shapes that Michiko learned while studying under Akio — including fedora, beret, bucket, boater, flat cap, Panama, and lampshade styles. The materials utilized are what give the brands their competitive advantage in their category. This large bill cap is made from a paraffin wax cotton, meaning that the cloth has been impregnated with paraffin wax and therefore creating a slight water-repellency. Or, there’s this straw hat which features a combination of natural hinoki cypress wood and paper. Hinoki is one of the most elegant types of wood that you can only find in Japan.
Overall, both collections stand strong on their own as truly haute couture. What we see is an expected effort from someone who studied under one of the most prestigious milliners in this century.
Shop the collection online and in-store now through the brand’s store.
Nivernois
