Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jasmin Zorlu, Founder of Jasmin Zorlu Millinery, located in Santa Fe, NM, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am a modern and minimal milliner creating futuristic and timeless headwear inspired by the Art Deco era. A milliner is a person who makes and sells women's hats. I create sculptural headwear out of sustainable materials like exotic fish leather, handwoven straws, and upcycled cashmere, employing a technique in millinery called 'freeform blocking.' I drape, pinch, fold, stretch, and twist material on one basic wooden hat form (called a 'hat block'). Then I hand-stitch it so that no two hats can ever be exactly alike. I don't use patterns where one would have to cut into the fabric. Instead, I aim to create 'zero waste headwear,' where I don't have scraps that result.

I'm not that into trims, like the ribbons or feathers or flowers that most milliners use. Instead, I create encapsulating sculptures to protect and decorate the cranium. I'm also getting into scarf design and printing my photographs on silk. Print on demand! My customers are mainly artists, designers, or art appreciators. Kat Von D. said, "I don't think I've ever gotten so many compliments on a hat before... thank you!" Erykah Badu, the singer, has also commissioned my hats.

Tell us about yourself

Born in Germany to a feisty red-headed mother and a quiet, dark Turkish father, I traveled all over the world with them. We mainly lived in Japan and Iceland because of my mother's teaching career. I'm sure this deeply influenced my minimal and modern aesthetic.

I decided to become a fashion designer at the age of 11 because my other career choice, to be an astronaut, seemed unreachable at the time, not having 20/20 eyesight. Although admitted to Otis-Parsons in Los Angeles straight out of high school in Iceland, I felt that I wasn't talented enough to succeed, so I opted for a Bachelor's degree in Art History at the University of Michigan instead. To fulfill my degree requirements, in my junior year, I took an elective course in Theatrical Millinery (Millinery is the art of designing and making hats for women) at U-M. I fell so hard for it! It was the only class I ever earned an A+ in, too! I started my business under the name of 'Cerebral Cathedral,' selling fun cut and sewn hats at the artisan market in Kerrytown, Ann Arbor, on the weekends.

I announced out loud to anyone who would listen, "I'm moving to New York City after graduation to take more millinery classes." I know it will be hard, and I'll have to work many side jobs, but I'll do it! I ended up working for several talented milliners in NYC, both fashion and theatrical milliners. I also took more classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology, even in handbag design and footwear. What motivates me is seeing the pure pleasure a customer gets from wearing a hat of mine or from learning a new skill that I teach them.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is not giving up. I've been designing, making, and selling hats for 32 years now. At one point in my 20s, I got frustrated with not making enough money to live on, so I trained to be a footwear designer and then worked in the corporate field for three years. But I quickly burnt out, disenchanted by the 'knocking off' that happens in the American fashion industry. Luckily, I took a vacation in Paris while working as a footwear designer at Esprit de Corp. I spent $300 on hatmaking supplies and dove back into my first love, hatmaking. I've been doing it ever since, passing on my passion for making hats by teaching others. Teaching fashion students hatmaking at the Parsons School of Design was so inspiring!

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Marketing or being consistent with social media! I heard you can take classes on this to improve.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Learn from other business owners who are succeeding in the field you want to enter. Do this by assisting them or asking for them to mentor you.
  2. If someone is interested in buying from you or collaborating, don't delay! Follow up today. Opportunities can easily fly away.
  3. Go after leads to be visible. Don't wait for the press to come to you. Learn how to write press releases and keep up with your industry! The planet needs your special passion and talent.
  4. Don't take 'NO' as an absolute answer. It took me three years of contacting Barney's New York to have them buy my fall hat collection in 2003. And they nearly sold out! Also, I had to contact Goorin Brothers, a San Francisco-based hat company, several times before I had an interview. And we ended up collaborating for 2 years! As they say in advertising, it takes a potential customer 7 times to see a product or service before they buy.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.jasminzorlu.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasminzorlumillinery/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminzorlu_millinery/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminzorlu/

Featured Photo by Liz Caruana

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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