Wearable Accessories: Della Goheen Millinery

A wearable accessory is more than just a scarf or a tie—it’s a statement of your personality. This collection of art-to-wear, ranging from antique to contemporary approaches in fiber and metal, will help spice up your retail mix.

Annica Magnusson left a lucrative career in finance to focus on satisfying her creative side. In 2003, she launched VSska by Annica with a single jewelry travel bag. Now, Magnusson’s line includes handbags and scarves. To add to her background in sewing, Magnusson is studying at the California School of Professional Fabric Design in Berkeley, and hopes to bring the handmade element into every aspect of her business soon.

Della Goheen of Della Goheen Millinery grew up among the glamour of Las Vegas in a family full of fiber artists and costume designers. She learned fine sewing skills early on, and gained a profound love for color and texture. As a self-taught milliner, she’s learned from books, experimenting and taking apart antique hats. Working from her studio in Olympia, Wash., Goheen gently shapes many of her designs by hand, without the use of hat blocks.

Rex Maruca’s studio was born from a love of textiles. Coming from a background of selling high-end jacquard fabrics, he started Maruca Design in 1993, and now produces a line of functional handbags. Each handcrafted “fabric vessel” is made from domestically milled fabrics in Boulder, Colo.

Jak Designs, located in Warren, Ohio, weaves streamlined knits that are soft, breathable and good for the environment. Lead designer Jennifer Armstrong doesn’t just take the body’s movements and measurements into consideration when designing the next product—she seeks out the most comfortable, sustainable products. Look for luxurious scarves, ponchos and wraps in cotton and bamboo yarn blends and other natural fibers.

Maja of Maja Designs marries mundane materials with precious metals, often piercing the work to create a perforated, hollow form. In her Carmel, Calif., studio, she incorporates stones, pearls, aluminum and glass with sterling silver and titanium to mix texture with durability. A lifelong appreciation of architecture and design informs her line of watches, earrings and necklaces.

Jennifer Northup’s fascination with silver patterns and antiques began when she was a child wandering around her great-grandmother’s inn on the coast of Sydney, Australia. When she inherited the collection, Northup started Silver Spoon Jewelry. She continues to design watches, bracelets, earrings, necklaces and belt buckles based on the heirloom patterns of the 1800s from her studio in Signal Hill, Calif.

Debra Street learned how to handpaint silk six years ago from her father, Danny, who wanted her to carry on the family business. Today, she has her own business in Platteville, Colo., Silk Sensations, and a line of unique, handpainted scarves, ponchos and neckties.