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  • Sarah Sokol: I get to be a sculptor and just make art,

  • and people wear it on their heads,

  • and it's just, like, the craziest thing that that's a job.

  • [Narrator] This is Sarah Sokol.

  • You may not recognize the face under this hat,

  • but scroll through your Instagram feed

  • or flip through the pages of a fashion magazine,

  • and you will find Sokol's designs

  • on the heads of your favorite celebs.

  • Cardi B,

  • Emilia Clarke,

  • and WWE star Lacey Evans, to name a few.

  • But it wasn't until the 2019 Met Gala

  • that Sokol floored the world with her iconic design

  • composed of four stacked hats

  • worn by the artist and actress Janelle Monáe.

  • Sokol: It was just

  • so surreal, crazy.

  • You know, to be a small designer on the red carpet

  • is insane

  • And it was just straight up, like, you know,

  • a dream come true,

  • a dream I didn't even know was obtainable.

  • [Narrator] Paired with a surrealist blinking-eye dress

  • by Christian Siriano,

  • Sokol's four-tiered hat propelled Monáe

  • onto several best-dressed lists after the camp-filled night.

  • We got a peek inside Sokol's studio

  • to learn specifically how she made

  • her iconic Met Gala hat for Janelle Monáe.

  • Sokol: Welcome to my studio.

  • [Narrator] Sokol owns and operates

  • Sarah Sokol Millinery Incorporated

  • right from her home studio in Brooklyn,

  • where she makes and sells custom pieces

  • ranging from $400 to $3,500.

  • Depending on the piece and the client's wishes,

  • each new hat takes Sokol anywhere from two hours

  • to two days to finish.

  • She made Monáe's hat in under 40 hours.

  • Sokol: So this is part of the hat that I made

  • for Janelle Monáe for the Met Gala.

  • She had a stacked four of these.

  • So I made four different ones of these.

  • It really looked like four separate hats,

  • like, all stacked together.

  • [Narrator] Sokol uses a variety of materials,

  • like Mylars, metals, plexiglass, and thermoplastics,

  • to make her designs come to life.

  • To create Monáe's iconic look,

  • Sokol chose to use velour felt.

  • Sokol: We went velour felt for Janelle and the Met Gala.

  • C'mon.

  • [Narrator] Once the material is chosen,

  • the first step is to steam the felt body.

  • The steam allows the felt to become malleable

  • so that Sokol can stretch it out over a wooden block

  • that she specifically created to fit Monáe's head.

  • Sokol: Trying to do different, like, heights and everything,

  • there was a really fine line between couture

  • and, like, cartoon and gimmicky.

  • With crowns, you really need,

  • like, every single different size.

  • So, like, 21 inches, 21 1/2, 22, 22 1/2.

  • So, you know, to go up only, like, a quarter inch

  • to do something like this was really the way to go.

  • [Narrator] The steaming and stretching process

  • may need to be repeated a few times

  • to give the felt body the biggest stretch possible.

  • Sokol: Oh, look at that.

  • Oh, I love it.

  • [Narrator] Once the body is blocked

  • nice and tight over the crown,

  • an elastic is pulled down over it

  • to secure the felt in place.

  • Sokol: So I'll put the elastic on,

  • and then wherever it's still buckling

  • I'm just gonna put a little more steam

  • and keep pulling it down that way.

  • [Narrator] Next, blocking pins are added

  • to maintain the body's shape.

  • Now it's time to pull out the brim,

  • steaming one section at a time and pinning it down.

  • The key is to get the brim as wide as possible.

  • Using a damp cloth to protect the felt,

  • the brim is then pressed with an iron to flatten it out.

  • The hat is then dried.

  • Size the hat by measuring the length of the brim.

  • Sokol: And then this one is only, "only,"

  • a 6-foot circumference,

  • but the side pieces also need to be

  • wired and stitched

  • and then attached to it.

  • So you're essentially sewing that circumference,

  • like, three times.

  • I know.

  • [Narrator] The hat is then cut to perfection.

  • The final brim is lined with a steel wire

  • to secure and flatten out the hat.

  • In Monáe's case, Sokol made a 2-inch strip of ribbon

  • out of the white fabric that was used for her dress.

  • Sokol: I felt very appreciated and recognized by Janelle.

  • And, you know, when she had posted

  • and, like, mentioned me about it

  • and posted the time-lapse video,

  • to me, that's, like, the highest form of compliment,

  • when an artist recognizes

  • other people's craftsmanship and artistry.

  • I felt really part of the team,

  • and to feel that way when you're working

  • with people like Christian Siriano

  • and you're on a red carpet

  • with, like, the biggest and best designers out there,

  • to feel appreciated as, like, a small Brooklyn milliner,

  • and to be a young one, is just the most important thing

  • to keeping this trade alive.

Sarah Sokol: I get to be a sculptor and just make art,

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