Body Of Work Crystal Birch

Marvellous milliner Crystal Birch creates unique and fabulous hats for her eponymous Cape Town-based label, and has collaborated with some of SA’s top fashion designers, too

- Gemma Bedforth

LEGS

Because I stand a lot, I try to take a break and do my emails in the early morning, so that I can be on the move for the rest of the day – sourcing, attending to clients, presenting and following the production line. Then, when I get home after a long day of pacing up and down, I often dance with my little girl and we just have a massive jam with the dogs barking. Sometimes my legs get tired, though… like on my recent trim-sourcing trip to China: sleeping awkwardly on the plane and then walking nonstop from sunrise to sunset until I boarded my return flight. Tired everything, actually!

FEET

My step counter says I do three to 10km every day (I think I need roller skates). During production, there is such a wonderful rhythm in the factory, and I always imagine a fashion film, with all the steam rising – and the beats of the machines and needles click-clicking as the soundtrack.

EARS