#53 The Sakura Fez

Before we get started please consider donating to one of the charities working to make a difference in Japan like:

Second Harvest -or-  Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue

It has been a rough week for creativity around here. For the last week my mind has been caught up in the tragedy and turmoil in Japan. I was lucky enough to visit Japan many years ago and I have always felt a sort of connection there. My art has been heavily influenced by their culture and it breaks my heart to think of all the loss they have already endured. sakuraI have struggled with the idea of creating a fez of the week to honor those that have been lost and those that are fighting to recover. On the one hand I make frivolous hats for my own entertainment and never set out to have them make such a heavy statement. On the other hand the point of the Fez of the Week concept is to simply create without too much thought. After getting a friendly nudge and some design ideas from my new friend Adam, I decided I needed to have something to show today. My designs tend to lean towards to dark, ironic or silly. Obviously those fall backs would not suit, instead we settled on the classic cherry blossom. I wanted to do something geometric and graphic like the municipal logos found in Japan. I attempted to make a unisex design but I just couldn't hide the fact that it is a flower, so instead I ended up embracing the feminine quality and decided to run with it. It’s not like I have a lot of girlie designs as it is. The Sakura Fez features a white cherry blossom with a dark wine center and a single crimson rhinestone on a pink velvet low profile fez with a black chrome tassel grommet. The photo also features the optional black chrome vents and a black tassel. Now I’m not comfortable exploiting this tragedy for attention so let’s see if we can do a little bit of good with this. I’m going to make this fez available as a special order but instead of the usual “proportion of the proceeds” mumbo jumbo let’s cut to the chase. For every Sakura fez we sell for $60 we will donate $40 to charity. I know it isn’t every dollar but we will be hand cutting and sewing these to order. If this seems like a callous endeavor then please donate directly to the charity of your choice. If you would like to get this design on another color of velvet, let me know and I will see what I can do. *UPDATE* Thank you for all of your support! Please keep these people in your thoughts.
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