MIRANDA GREEN - Find Your Talent and Follow your Dream
By Jane Stadler, Ms Perth Magazine, June 2001
A talent for millinery, the design and creation of hats, and a dream to interweave fantasy with the fabric of every day life have made Miranda Green into an internationally successful entrepreneur.
The path to becoming a successful businesswoman is not always smooth, direct, or predictable. Miranda Green emerged from a lifelong struggle with clinical depression with an invaluable skill and a positive sense of agency. Her dexterity and flair with a needle and thread were first discovered in the course of occupational therapy workshops. When she channelled this talent into millinery she found a sense of achievement and purpose, forging a career path which has taken her hats around the globe and brought her wide acclaim.
The hats speak for themselves, which isn't surprising, considering the fact that each possesses its own name, story, theme and distinctive personality. The unique sculptural look of Miranda Green hats will frame any face like an artwork, surrounding the wearer in vibrant color and exquisite natural and antique fabrics. Some hats, such as 'Starr', are inspired by the architecture of the Taj Mahal while others take their names and styles from glamorous actresses like Ava Gardner and writers such as Anais Nin.
These hats offer a feeling of enchantment to their wearers - but unlike some haute couture, they are also constructed with practical considerations in mind. Features include travel easy construction (Miranda's own innovation) and wind-defiant elasticized inner bands which mean that they willingly adapt to any head and loyally stay put.
Miranda Green's contemporary millinery style involves sourcing textiles; designing patterns to suit the chosen textiles; hand-stitching around clever configurations of boning, plastic and elastic; and embellishing the finished product with unique decorative feathers, richly hued braids and strikingly sculptured flowers. The techniques and patterns used in the creation of these amazing hats have been developed by Ms Green herself.
In a welcome contrast with many entrepreneurs, Ms Green's commitment to excellence is inseparable from her sense of social responsibility. Purchasing a Miranda Green hat is an act of ethical consumerism as much as it is a statement of style and an investment in art. Miranda has completed the first stage in setting up an ethically run workshop in the Himalayan community of Dharamsala. Miranda Green's vision is to teach her skills and produce the Green Girl and Resort Headwear labels at a more affordable price for the women of the west whilst providing life enhancing employment opportunities for Tibetan Refugees in India. In expanding her ethical compass to an international level Miranda Green is putting into motion that which she has spoken about as guest lecturer to an Ethics Business and the Professions class at a Western Australian university.
Inspiration
"I have a very rich and active inner life and so it is probably not surprising that this is the most fertile storehouse for ideas and where inspiration resides for me.
However being a visual person I am, of course, stimulated by the physical elements that surround me. Building design, cultural and religious costume, historic movies and flora and fauna are plentiful stimulation. But inspiration can also come from those very pedestrian things around home and in everyday life such as the curve of the 'S' bend of a drainpipe or from the shadow formed by a door left ajar. It's simply everywhere - on a good day!"