Candela Cort

Milliner

©Manuela Lorente

A delicate touch

Candela creates handcrafted women's accessories
She aims to evoke emotion with her pieces
Through her creations, she expresses her search for freedom

Candela Cort makes hats, necklaces, headdresses, bracelets, and collars, which combine modern and ancient styles but, above all, which show her search for freedom and love for intuition. Candela has a degree in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid and she took a course in millinery at the London Fashion School. “When I was a child, I did all kinds of handicrafts. This skill developed into a hobby until it became a way of living,” she says and remembers that her first hat was a Lycra necklace. “When I went to take it off, I realized that it worked very well on my head. From that moment on, I started my career as a milliner”. In 1997 she had her first exhibition in Madrid. Since then she has shown her work in museums, galleries, and fashion shows around the world. Her hats have also been paraded in films, operas, and at royal weddings.

Interview

©Manuela Lorente

How is your craft linked to the region where you live?: I believe that my craftwork as a milliner is more associated with an emotional, intellectual, and mental state than to the specific territory, community, or region where I live.
What are your key skills?: My fundamental techniques derive from fine and decorative arts as well as sewing. I have developed a natural ability with my hands over many years of work. Intuition has guided me all my life. I never know what will happen. I always allow life to flow and let it surprise me.
What do you like best about this craft?: I make playful pieces that imprint a transformative personality on the wearer. What I like the most about my craftwork is being able to make the people who wear my items feel strong and smiling. In short, happy!
Is your craft considered endangered?: In this globalized world, unfortunately crafts must compete with the big industries that make products cheaper by using inferior materials. Younger artisans must be enthusiastic about what they do and be filled with patience and humility. The reward is very gratifying.

Candela Cort is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1987