In Belgium, the country of surreal art and comic books, mad hatter Christophe Coppens is perfectly cut out for his part as designer of fantasy headgear for the likes of pop star Rihanna, and milliner to the king. Quiet Coppens, tall and easy going with a Peter-Pan smile and fondness for bicycling about town, last month became a recipient of the royal warrant -- as hatter to Belgium's popular royals, Albert II and Queen Paola.
在比利時這個超現實主義藝術和漫畫掛帥的國度，克利斯多夫．柯本斯完美地被形塑為「潮帽怪傑」，他曾為流行樂天后蕾哈娜及比利時國王等名流設計時尚潮帽。生性沉默寡言的柯本斯，高大隨和，臉上永遠帶著「小飛俠」彼得潘式的微笑，最愛在鎮上騎單車閒逛。上個月，由於為比利時王室普受民眾愛戴的亞伯特二世和寶拉王后設計製造潮帽，受頒皇家御用徽章。
Perhaps not surprisingly, royal-watching hat-fanatics puzzle at times on the Internet over headpieces outed by Queen Paola and daughters-in-law Princess Mathilde and Princess Claire -- though Coppens is not their sole source. “These strangely molded hats are becoming a thing,” said someone on madhattery.royalroundup.com. “I mean the hats are interesting and all, but something about the shape reminds me of those crazy hooded dinosaurs from Jurassic Park.”
密切觀察王室風尚、瘋潮帽的人士，對寶拉王后和兒媳婦瑪蒂爾妲及克萊兒兩位王妃公開展示的帽飾，有時上網表示困惑可能也不足為奇，雖然柯本斯並非她們唯一的潮帽來源。有人在「瘋王室潮帽大全網站」上留言：「這些奇形怪狀的帽子已經蔚為一景，我是說，這些帽子的確很有趣，但帽子的形狀讓我想起侏羅紀公園那些彷彿罩上帽飾的瘋狂恐龍。」
Coppens doesn't like to elaborate on commissions from his royals, saying “I treat them like all my clients.” But for every queenly hat, he admits in an interview, “there is the protocol,” so a piece must be “classical but interesting”. “There are certain rules,” he adds when pressed. “The hats must be discreet, people must see them and remark on them but not in a negative way.”
柯本斯不願詳細透露為王室成員設計帽子的酬佣，他只說：「一如所有客戶，我對他們一視同仁。」但在接受採訪時他承認，女王每一頂帽子「有一定的默契」，帽子要「古典但有趣」。在記者追問下，他補充說：「有一定的規範，王室帽飾必須特別慎重，要讓民眾看見他們，對他們品頭論足，但不能有負面看法。」
Yet some of Coppens' creations for normal folks would turn most heads. The black pill-box Rihanna wore for the Grammys features a large studded dagger hanging to the eyes. “Gossip” star Beth Ditto bought a high fan-shaped number and in video-clip “Pop Goes The World” sports Coppens' skulls as pads on either shoulder. With his hats that take 25 to 30 hours to construct, he befriended Irish singer Roisin Murphy who once wrote they had “found common ground in a love for practical absurdity, a dark silliness and a simple beautiful line.”
但柯本斯為一般人獨創的某些作品，往往成為吸睛焦點。流行樂天后蕾哈娜出席葛萊美獎頒獎典禮時戴的黑色平頂圓帽，最大特色是前面綴了一大把鑲嵌匕首垂落眼睛。（美國搖滾樂天團）Gossip主唱貝絲迪托買了頂柯本斯狀似風扇的高帽，並在演唱Pop Goes The World那段影帶中，戴著柯本斯設計的骷髏墊肩。他的帽子至少要花25到30個小時打造。愛爾蘭女歌手羅欣．墨菲是他摯友，她曾寫道，他們「共同喜愛務實的荒謬、黑暗的愚昧和簡單漂亮的線條。」
Coppens has yet to attain the star status of other Belgian “mad hatter” Elvis Pompilio, but in a country famed for spawning the best of Europe's cutting-edge design -- Martin Margiela, Kris Van Assche, Dries Van Noten or Ann Demeulemeester -- his empire is steadily growing.
柯本斯尚未達到另一位比利時「帽子怪傑」龐皮里歐的明星地位，但在這個以培育歐洲頂尖尖端設計師知名的國家，其中包括馬丁．馬吉耶拉、克里斯．范亞謝、德萊斯．范諾頓或安．德穆勒米斯特──柯本斯的帽子王國正穩步成長。
Yet the 41-year-old dreamt as a child of becoming an actor but “realized at acting school I was no good at it.” He then tried directing, “but I didn't like working with others” so took a failed dab at stage costumes and scenery -- which brought him to hats. Needing headgear for a play, he met a 76-year-old village milliner who first refused to teach him, saying, “You're too young. This is a serious craft.” But in the end she relented. And for a year Coppens kept coming back to learn. “I loved it,” he says. “It was just me and matter. I didn't need anyone, I could be alone and do something with my hands.”
但這位41歲的潮帽設計師，年幼時夢想成為演員：「等上了演藝學院才知道自己沒有天分。」然後他嘗試當導演，「但我不喜歡和別人合作」，只好退而求其次，試舞台服裝和布景，這也帶他走入帽子的世界。後來有部戲需要一頂頭飾，他正巧碰到村裡一位76歲的女帽設計師，她最初拒絕收他為徒，說：「你太年輕，這可是門嚴肅的手藝。」但最後她心軟了，有一年之久，柯本斯不斷回來跟她學製帽技藝。他說：「我愛死它了。這時只剩我和製帽師。我不需要和任何人打交道，我可以獨處，用雙手創作一些東西。」
Born in the Dutch-speaking Flanders region of Belgium, Coppens' showroom has hats posing as big shiny teddy-bears and techni-colored alligators. “A hat is the most mysterious accessory,” he said. “It will change a silhouette, it can bring a note of humor. A hat can be prominent, but even then you have to be sure it makes a woman attractive. You have to see the woman first, then the hat.”
出生於比利時法蘭德斯荷語區，柯本斯的展示間陳列的帽飾，狀如閃亮大泰迪熊和五彩繽紛短吻鱷。他說：「帽子是最神祕的配件，它可以改變一個人的輪廓和身影，也可以畫龍點睛，帶點幽默。帽子可以很突出，即便如此，你一定要確實做到，它會使一個女人更吸引人。你要先看到那個女人，再看到那頂帽子。」
In an interview, he admitted that he is inspired by nature. He also admitted that he has been particularly obsessed with birds and empty cages. It goes back to his childhood and numerous visits to the zoo where he was always more attracted by empty cages than the ones with animals. In fact, cages are a leitmotif in his work. He also thought of birds, because his winter collections are always based around the notion of protection. He loves birds because of their feathers, their nests and their freedom. Then he came up with “Bird Man” and “Bird Woman” which are motifs you can see on some of his scarves for instance.
在一次採訪中，他承認他的靈感得自大自然。他還承認，他尤其對鳥類和空籠子著迷。這也許可以上溯到他童年時常到動物園，比起那些裡面有動物的籠子，他更常被空蕩蕩的籠子吸引。事實上，鐵籠是他創作主題之一。他也常從鳥類取材，因為他的冬季系列多半發想於動物保護概念。他愛鳥，因為它們的羽毛、鳥巢和自由自在。然後，他想出「鳥人」和「鳥女人」這些主題，在他的圍巾實例中常可見這個主題。
He has been in the line for about 20 years. His biggest market is Japan, with around 150 clients. The problem now is that it's very difficult to create long-lasting relationships in this business. The market is tough, because the big brands have really developed their accessory lines and people who order the clothes see them as a good complement, so they buy accessories from the same brands, too.
他已經入行約20年，最大的市場是日本，約有150位客戶。目前最大的問題是，這行很難和客戶建立長久的關係。市場很難經營，因為大品牌已經開發自有系列配件，訂購衣服的人自然認為這些配件可以相得益彰，所以多半會買同樣品牌的配飾。
A sometime performance artist who's tried his hand at ceramics, designer furniture, theater and other bits and pieces, Coppens shrugs off all pretension to the world of art. “Being a milliner is part of the fashion trade. I'm no artist. You need courage to be an artist. Fashion is about economics.” And he never wears hats. “It'd be like a baker carrying around his loaf of bread.” Photos show Coppens and his hats at his show room in Brussels.
一度想當演藝人員的柯本斯也曾嘗試陶瓷、家具設計、劇場和其他零零星星的創作，但他聳聳肩表示不屑以藝術創作自居。「身為帽飾設計師是時尚界的一部分。我不是藝術家，你要有勇氣才能當藝術家。時尚是經濟學。」他也從不戴帽子，因為「那就像麵包師傅帶著自己烘焙的麵包趴趴走。」圖為柯本斯和他在比利時布魯塞爾展示間的帽飾。