Britni Knable is one of the area’s hottest milliners. Kate Spade thinks so, too.
Britni Lynn Knable is going big-time.
The Southern Indiana milliner has been creating handcrafting head fashions since 2003. Her client list includes a number of celebrities – both local and national – including country star Jo Dee Messina, who wore one of Knable’s fashions while singing the National Anthem at the Kentucky Derby in 2014.
“Actually, Jo Dee ‘HeadCandied’ in both 2013 and 2014,” Knable laughed.
The designer’s creations are available at a number of boutiques, including New Albany’s Dress & Dwell, where Knable works as the manager and assistant buyer. But they’re now also available at Kate Spade New York in Louisville’s Oxmoor Center, which was a major development in the sweet success of Knable’s career.
“I’m really excited and so are they,” she said.
Knable grew up in Floyds Knobs, went to Assumption High School in Louisville and studied at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago, where she learned her trade by working for Chicago milliner Linda Campisano. During Derby season, Knable would go home to host trunk shows and make custom designs.
“It started off slowly, but hard work does pay off in the end. There’s always going to be ups and downs. I’ve always worked two or three jobs, and you don’t get a lot of sleep, but,” as the highly-regarded milliner has learned, “it’s well worth it in the end.”
Knable, who makes all of her hats and fascinators from start to beginning, has a penchant for combining vintage pieces with the unexpected – “I usually break the rules” – which keeps her clients coming back and attracts an ever-increasing flow of newcomers.
As she gears up for Derby season and her new partnership with Kate Spade, the ever-humble fashionista credited those closest for assisting in her success. “My sisters and my mom, I work closely with them. Mom is my right-hand woman. I even have my dad, who becomes my runner,” she said. “My family is truly awesome.”
How To Find HeadCandi
shopheadcandi.com
Dress & Dwell • New Albany
Kate Spade New York in Oxmoor Center • Louisville
Clodhoppers • Louisville
Merci Boutique • Louisville
Rodeo Drive • Louisville
Crush Boutique • Louisville
The Brown Hotel • Louisville
Bella Rose • Lexington
Stacey Rhodes Boutique • Nashville
