Playing: Lenny Kravitz; Led Zeppelin; Prince
Great seeing you again! It’s amazing seeing the shop put together.
So tell me, has Busto & Sun been a project of yours, and for how long?
B: Yes...I mean I’ve been making hats for like 4 years. I opened the shop about two months ago, so it’s rather new.
B: I wanted to create a space where I feel comfortable and I feel at home because you know, I’m spending most of my time here, and I’m working here, and I’m making the hats here…
With your workshop right [behind], it feels like home.
B: (laughs) Yes, exactly, exactly.
What inspires you with your hats?
B: I mean when I usually have something that people feel comfortable to wear everyday. I don’t want to create a hat for, let’s say, the “special” occasion. I mean I like to create the hats for those special occasions, but I want the people to enjoy the hats everyday, you know, like a little accessory that makes you feel a little better.
From what I’m seeing [around], these are rather casual, all-day-wear hats, that have a nice unique touch to them, a bit of creativity to them. You have an array of different kinds of hats.
B: Yeah, I don’t like to have a specific line of style. I like to get inspired by everything, and especially by the people, and most of the hats I make are, well, customs. Talking with the people and understanding what they want, what they like, and how they dress, and how they want to wear it...I make that hat for them. And my goal is that they feel comfortable with that hat.
B: That’s why there is such a variety of style here, because there is a variety of people. [The hats] are like an extension of their personality, you know.
I would assume with Topanga you get a nice variety of people.
B: (laughs) Yes, this is the crème de la crème.
How do you enjoy being in Topanga Canyon?
B: I mean, I’ve been living in the Canyon for like 4 years, and I think it’s the best place...There’s like a perfect balance between nature and heart here.
Yes, absolutely. As a local myself, I can relate 100%. Something about this canyon is very inspiring.
B: Yeah, it’s also slower, if you want, than Los Angeles, and sometimes you need to take a step back to see things from a bigger perspective.
By all means, absolutely.
One fun fact about Busto’s, something unique to the shop.
B: I mean, I do everything here in front of [the guests], so there are no tricks. I don’t do premade hats. I create everything from scratch, and all the hats are one-of-a-kind...and everything is done by hand. You can customize [each hat] as you want.
Fantastic. And besides hats now, you do what else? I saw you had a few little knickknacks around...I did notice the scarves.
B: Yes, I like accessories. I work a lot with silk...I love silk. It’s such a beautiful fabric that you can wear as a bandana now, which is very popular (laughs). Or like the scarves that you saw, or even a hair tie. Then I have my own line of belts and leathers.
Yes, they are definitely some badass belts!
B: And even with my hats, I like to create a loud interior...I like to say the exterior is for the other people; the interior is for yourself. That’s why I love to work with nice silk, nice liners...and it’s the same with the belts, I want to have the interior of the belts just as unique.
Where do you source these beautiful fabrics from?
B: Oh! Pretty much mostly from Italy.
Are you from Italy yourself?
B: Yeah, yeah, I am from Italy...Venice.
Like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.
B: (laughs)
B: Yeah, so pretty much little accessories and the hats. Everything handcrafted, 99% by me. It’s what I like to do.
This is what you like. Glad you’re doing what you love!
We exchanged a few more good laughs, as I left him to tend to the hat he was crafting in his workspace behind. He threw on his steam iron; one last “Ciao!” as I made my way out.