Jasmin Zorlu Millinery

The more I work on my arapaima fish leather backpack, the more I want to make a jacket for myself out of this leather. All completely hand-laced together, of course. This fish leather is super thick and stronger than cowhide. It’s also vegetable tanned, which means that it didn’t release heavy metals into the environment, the way chrome tanning does. I still am trying to figure out how to close the top. Considering adding a collar and then doing a sort of drawstring lining at the top (like the end of a candy wrapper), because the point of entry will be through the back (which will lay against my back). I welcome any and all ideas on how to close the top and thank you in advance!

I had the ultimate compliment today from an Italian artist. He said that the cashmere dress I was wearing looked like clothing that a fairytale character would wear! I nearly cried, because that was completely my aim! In fact, most all my work is inspired by superheroes, goddesses and fairies. This self-tanned fishskin helmet is now ready to hand stitch and will be just for me! It’s made from salmonskin, seabass skin, halibut skin, and yellowtail hamachi skin. I may even add some golden gilding wax to it, to give it some extra magical powers. It can be worn frontwards and backwards. My magical little being, Moja, is in the background. Ciao from Italy!

Excited to start studying with for the coming 2 months, molding vegetable tanned leather over wooden forms which look like hat blocks! I’ll learn how to form, emboss, dye and finish the leather into handmade bags. This is his beautiful work.

Decided to treat myself to a day stay at the TWA hotel. Moja and I flew a red-eye from San Francisco and we need to get his international health certificate at the ARK at JFK this morning. It’s so nice to rest on a bed.

What a delight to see that Douglas is still with ! I hadn’t visited for 12 years. I was actually thinking of him lately. He’s the kind of human who I would love to be friends with. In fact, he hugged me several times, on each side of the body! I honestly can’t believe that he remembered my full name. I nearly started crying. I was able to buy some buckram for millinery there, though it’s quite different from what I’m used to. It’s more like a stiffer version of woven cotton crinoline, the stuff I’d use to stiffen visors for cut & sewn hats and caps. They also have 100% industrial wool felt, which Douglas uses to make bags. So glad Britex is still in business in downtown Union Square. I heard they even hold classes. Maybe it’s time I started teaching millinery again?

P.S. I lost this large silk scarf that I designed and had printed with shortly afterwards.

Thank you to who taught me how to tan fishskin with oak galls and to who sold me the seabass (top) and hamachi yellowtail (bottom) fish at the Ferry building farmer’s market. 🐟 Halibut is in the middle and from a different supplier. Transforming fishskins into leather is my new passion! And the best thing about it is that I can do it while I’m traveling the 🌎 planet. I’ll be in Italy studying moulded vegetable tanned bagmaking in October and November. Cannot wait to find out which skins I can get there.

Now if I could just find a sushi 🍣 restaurant or fishmonger here in San Francisco who could supply me with just their discarded fishskins. I’d be over the moon! 🌖 Any ideas? Xoxo

In Iceland, a textile makerspace! Join me on this tour of the one in Northern Iceland at Textílmiðstöð Íslands - Þekkingarsetur á Blönduósi
I used it for 2 months!

TextileLab, a makerspace in Northern Iceland I had the extreme pleasure of participating in a Textile Artists’ Residency in July and August of 2023, in Blönduós, Iceland. I had no idea that the maker sp...

So excited that the fish I found at the farmer’s market yesterday is tannable! I never knew that halibut was white on one side and dark brown on the other! Did you? When I lived Iceland as a kid in the 80s, it cost $1.50 a pound. Can you imagine? Fish is a huge export of Iceland. A fishing supply store nearby told me where to find the halibut fishers in San Francisco right now. They have to throw everything less than 22” long back into the bay. How fun would it be to have skins long enough to nearly circle the head?

How do I even begin to ask them for their skins? Wear my fishskin helmet there, of course. That is the first step. Wouldn’t it be a cool photoshoot to have them wearing caps I make from the fish they caught? Is a trade in order? Do I pay them for their skins? What should I do? I’m all ready to tea tan right now.

invited me to her home in Oakland for gluten free frittata and a visit to the farmer’s market. I didn’t count on a free lesson in Tetra pak printing when I asked to see her prints! The drawing I’m doing is of an Alexander McQueen dress from the exhibit I attended yesterday. So good to actually draw instead of tracing photos with my apple pencil on my ipad pro! Tara did the drawings of the flower and cat.

New in my shop (if you are in a cold part of the planet), check it out!

Eco Sidereal Turban in Upcycled Grey Striped Merino Wool - Etsy This Winter Hats item is sold by JasminZorlu. Ships from Santa Fe, NM. Listed on Jul 18, 2024

So many ways to wear the ‘Double Caterpillar Cloche’ in upcycled merino wool. Love this one for Fall 2024.

Who had these as a kid, and did it help to decide on your career or hobby? I had them!

Who remembers Fashion Plates?

This upcycled and felted merino wool Banana Republic sweater is reincarnated into a Medieval Beret cm Victorian hairstyle. It runs large. Do you spot the sleeve? Help me name this hat! I was thinking ‘Medieval Maiden’, 🧝🏻‍♀️though I’ve used that name before. I can recycle the name too, right? ♻️

Sometimes potential customers tell me that they can’t wear my buntal straw hats. They’re too fancy, they say! Can you imagine? I love the color achieved when she shibori-dyed some of my cream colored buntal straw. Do you like the gunmetal salmon skin appliqué? You can wear this sun visor upside down, too!

Advanced style influencer gave me the idea to pair it with jeans when she bought the fraternal twin to this sun visor. Check out her cool video in my highlights: customers: August 30, 2023. In fact, she wore a long denim jacket, jeans and denim boots!

Lovely is wearing the Turban Cloche sun visor in shibori dyed lilac buntal straw. Local wearable art weaver hand-dyed the straw for me! This hat provides moderate shade from the sun, extending out 2 1/2” from the forehead. Plus you can wear it upside down! Which way would you wear it? With the fan part going up or down? Did you know that actress once admired one of my buntal straw hats at a trunk show in a clothing boutique in Berkeley in 2011, but I said the hat was not available because it was mine? 😳 Yikes. I’ll never do that again, to anyone! Now when someone admires the buntal straw visor hat I’m wearing, I take it off my head and say, “Would you like to take a look at it?”

was the perfect model for my sculptural straw visors yesterday. I don’t buy into that glum non-smiling look for models that is still so trendy all over the planet. shibori-dyed this buntal straw so beautifully! Did you know that I’ve been making these sculptural sun visors for 13 years? They’re super lightweight and stay on during windy days, thanks to the adjustable grosgrain ribbon inside. The last photo is of the visor upside down! One-of-a-kind and for sale in my Etsy shop. Click link in comments below.

I lived in Iceland for 9 years when I was a kid. Can you imagine going back after being away for 36 years? It’s changed so much! I loved it then, and I love it now. Last summer I was so excited and delighted to spend 2 inspiring months at the Os Textile Residency in Blonduos, Northern Iceland. Plus, I got to visit the Fishskin factory with .marsch.art. It was just a short bus ride away! There really is nothing like creating around other creatives, where you get to focus 100% on your art practice. Thank you, for making it possible for us and for putting together this fantastic catalogue. And a huge thank you to for being such a lovely model. I sold this upcycled cashmere cape top that I dyed with self-gathered lupin flowers at the in November!

Come to Paul's Hat Works in San Francisco on Thursday, May 9th from 6-9 pm to try on my hats and silk scarves! I will be there.