A true New Yorker loves hats, but not any type of hat! It has to be stylish, extremely well made and, preferably, custom made! Teressa Foglia’s atelier in Industry City is the perfect place to find them and later show them off around the streets of New York!
I always say that one of the best ways to identify the true New Yorkers around the city is to look for people that are wearing hats! New Yorkers love hats and are pretty stylish and bold regarding how to use it and how to incorporate them into their daily lives.
I’ve been accompanying the work of a fantastic hat designer and maker called Teressa Foglia. As she explains it, she’s a modern milliner – “a person who designs, makes, sells or trims hats primarily for a female clientele”.
In December of 2017, Teressa opened the first “Teressa Foglia Hat Studio + Shop” in Industry City – one of Brooklyn’s upcoming neighborhoods. There, you’re able to shop her fantastic collections, meet for your custom hat fitting, and even join them for a hat making workshop.
And still, if you’re a business, it’s a great space to host an event and even feature your independent brand products.
Well, I was pretty curious to learn more about how it all started, where her passion came from, what types of hats she sells, which are the best sellers, how they are actually done and also, I wanted to see if I’d find the perfect one for me! “Spoiler alert”, I did! Wuhu!
Teressa told me that she has always loved hats and wore them from a very young age, but started wearing them more frequently as an adult.
She had an episode in her life of a heartbreak so, back then, decided to change scenes a bit and bought a one-way plane ticket to Europe.
Destiny ended up taking her to the South of France, where she booked a last minute millinery course. She barely made it to actually booking and being part of what would change her life.
This course took her to London, to make hats with a renowned milliner and eventually ended up in other cities like Berlin and Los Angeles, always designing and making hats.
She travelled the world to over 35 countries collecting ideas, inspirations and life experiences that would all be used in the near future and finally make sense all together.
“Life is colorful, boundary less and filled with moments encapsulated by, “you had to be there to believe it”. So, be there. Buy the plane ticket. Break the rules. Life is your own masterpiece; a canvas that spans the globe. After all, nothing fun happens while drawing inside the lines.”
So, life ended up bringing her back to New York and it was when she actually launched her 1st collection.
Today, her hats are mostly one-of-a-kind. She customizes according to her client’s desires and style, making sure each and every single person leaves her atelier completely satisfied and counting the minutes to wear their new hat! She creates has for men, women, kids & babies, custom and ready to wear!
If you have no idea on what hat you want, Teressa can guide you through the process, starting very simply by deciding what material you want: felt or straw? Remember: straws have infinite options!
Now, a tip to the Coachella girls out there. Teressa is the creative mind and hands behind some of the coolest hats that you’ve seen at the festival. So, your search days for finding out where that cool NY gal got her hat are over!
Oh! And like I mentioned above, for the moms out there, she just recently launched her Kids & Babies Line! There is nothing more adorable than cute, stylish kids wearing hats, right?
So, be sure to swing by and take the day to explore all the other amazing businesses also located inside the buildings of Industry City. You’ll find everything from a sake on tap bar, chocolate stores, coffee shops, design shops, a great food hall and so much more!
Enjoy exploring this “unexplored” part of Brooklyn and also, check out other fantastic places to shop for Ladies and Gents and style up your new Teressa Foglia hat!
Hours: Daily 12pm – 6pm, but always best to contact prior to visiting.
Location: Industry City, Building 5 – 51 35th Street
Videography & Photo Credits: Black3 Agency
Beauty: Leila Soldeira
*Last Update on March/2020.*
Fê is our Founder & CEO! She’s Brazilian (Yup! Not a New Yorker!), but her indescribable passion and curiosity for NY makes her a New Yorker by heart. Fê worked in companies like Kimberly Clark, Quintessentially, Vogue Brazil and Iguatemi Group, and after 12 years of working for these fantastic companies, she decided to go solo and move to NYC!
She lives in Brooklyn since April of ’15 and has been tirelessly working on BTSNYC, working with huge companies on corporate projects, practicing her Arhatic Yoga meditations, finding time for gym and friends! Phiuf!
