Founder of Visium Tahatan
The founder of Visium Tahatan, Tommy Legge, talks about his styles, loves and journey with reclaimed hats. He shares his passion for reusing whats available while also being innovative to create new long lasting modern art.
*You never forget your first and most loved fedora. #throwback
What is the mission of your art?
Our philosophy is to better the world through our art. To make quality long lasting products that supports people with style, survival and fun. To build a brand around our values that is trusting, fun and addictive. We want people to feel confident and comfortable while expressing there uniqueness. Connecting people together through our art while making a positive impact on the fashion industry and planet. We want to create an emotional response, a heart connection. Using what life and the land already provides is so abundant, it can add richness to our products and impact future generations. We want to celebrate visions, craft, legacy and community.
Who would be wild enough to start a company from a vision in the sky? How do you make a decision like this for such an important life change?
We would and we did. Life's balance comes from the ability to surrender in each moment. When your personal 'guides' reach out you can softly flow into there message or you can start ranting in fear. Your future belongs in your heart. Trusting in the universe and its guidance is important to me, so when I feel it in my gut, I don't question it, I just do it. With passion behind any decision, in truth, you can achieve anything.
After the vision how do you get to the point of selling hats and understanding this ancient craft?
A long journey. I left England weeks after this vision to travel Europe in search of the mountains and a new energy of teachings. As I travelled, I built up my collection of Millinery equipment and began learning the trade. I travelled five different countries and then came to another vision for the new home. I asked for guidance and this time it came in a remarkable sign of a long lost tiger. I found a home and moved to the mountains of Italy. As I had been creating and talking to people on my travels about my vision of hats, I suddenly had a long waiting list. When I arrived at the home I decided to take more time to learn the craft deeper, so I built a studio on our land while experimenting. Two years after seeing the hat in the sky, I was up and running with Tahatan Hat Co (Hat division of Visium Tahatan). A wild, challenging and wonderfully unique life experience.
ValChiusella, Italy. Home of Visium Tahatan
What is the process of upcycling your hats? How do you ensure the uniqueness and high quality of each hat?
I hand source the hats on regular 'hunting' expeditions travelling the world to flea markets, antique stores or individuals for our special finds. They are cleaned, saged and steamed into a new form. Our hat bands our formed through vintage and upcycled finds along our travels including luxurious silks, cottons and wools. We combine these with vintage belts, old ammo belts, discarded leather. Adding elements to help people in the wild for fishing or survival. Then we add antique pieces like coins, crystals, stones. To finish it off, we will add local nature or feather elements. Everything is done according to the hats shape, size, colour and story. For us it's about freedom and authentic practises while honouring slow fashion of heritage and ethics.
How has your life and culture inspired your art and your style?
A great joy of my life has been to immerse myself in many cultures. I grew up surrounded by nature in England, fly fishing in Scotland and always creating things. As I aged I opened myself to study, learn and embrace a variety of cultural traditions while also living in different countries. I love the history and traditions of cultures but I wanted my job to be about creating something new. So the style is based on many influences and thats why each hat is intuitively made. I have had great pleasure spending time with native Americans and always had a connection to them spiritually. I have been living within the concept of Wabi Sabi for many years now. I lived in South Africa for years and their style is very sexy and thought out. These all have a hand in my creative process.
How do you hope to contribute to a better future by upcycling hats?
I have always loved nature but in a period of recovery during my middle life I found not only great healing and wisdom from it, I also found it can provide us with many elements that can be reused. Showing that beauty and fashion can be both beautiful and sustainable. Giving someone a hat that comes from conscious choices and is steeped in a history while bringing innovative modernity to their style brings me great joy.
How do you integrate traditional styles with innovative modern looks?
By reclaiming everything we bring a unique beauty from the older generations into the modern new ones. I find along this learning journey called life that combining my 'loves' of yogic wisdom, ceremonies and Tea, fishing and nature, outdoor hobbies and survival, wabi interior design, music and art and many more things; that I'm filled with the possibilities to create my own take on modern styles with the 'old ways' guiding me forward.
Our hats honour past battles and achievements while being alongside an ethos of authentic self love and kindness to all.
My personal style signifier -
Loving my Visvim native moccasin collection, authentic kimono's, and reclaimed denim. I enjoy being free to dress in what brings me comfort and confidence. My personal empowerment statement is; 'I wear what I lIke, I make what I like, I do what I like'.
The last thing I bought and loved -
Not brought but made a new painting on my kitchen wall and really enjoying its depth and creativity. Based on a Japanese Byōbu called 'The Mind'.
And the best souvenir I’ve brought home -
A stone from Croatia. Always had a connection to stones. This one felt like an ugly giant in need of love. Carried it along way home, weighed a lot but it needed me. We needed each other.
The place that means a lot to me -
The river. All rivers run through me in peace and I receive great comfort from them. I've grown up on rivers fly fishing. You can do so many things on a river, its endless, timeless and stillness. Like hat making.
The book that has inspired me the most -
Hard question. My home is full of books that interest and uplift me. I've been reading a lot on Japanese culture and concepts lately. My every day book is poetry, particular from Hafiz the Sufi poet. His humour touches my heart.
I have a collection of -
Feathers and trainers. Great loves of my life.
My style icon -
Bob Marley, Hunter S Thompson, Ron Swanson, Yeezy, Native Chiefs, Hiroki Nakamura, Kate Moss, Stevie Nicks.
The music I listen to -
Depends on the mood and the environment. I have great love for reggae and jazz. I delve into plenty of DJ's, electric funk, deep house, hip pop and a variety of artists like Muddy Waters, David Bowie and Van Morrison. I tend to listen to records from my collection. Classical music and rock from the 60's sounds so raw. A Fleetwood Mac or Sinatra LP with a book is bliss.
My favourite room in my house -
My balcony. Every morning I enjoy a tea looking out into the mountains and hearing nature sing to me. Then I repeat this at night while sometimes passing out there under the stars.
In my fridge you’ll always find -
Fresh fruits and vegetables is always overflowing in my kitchen. I enjoy the local markets and to live off the land as much as possible. My garden is full of herbs and fruits I love. We have a river that aligns its banks with fresh garlic in the spring. Being in its aroma by the river and then bringing some home to cook with is a joy of life.
The things I couldn’t do without -
I love my skin care brand, Typology. Feels good to find a personal solution for your skin. Tea, music, nature, books and my motorbike. Every day essentials for me. And of cause my dog.
An indulgence I would never forgo -
Having been an addict Im careful what I indulge in but cacao based drinks or desserts is always a lovely treat for me.
The artist whose work I admire -
Im a fan of many artists in the world but I admire Axel Vervoordt's work. His mind and creative style is full of wa [harmony] and patina cultural blends. I'm attracted to combining the aged to the new. He is very skilled at this. I'm interested in the shadows of life and the void. The calm dimension beyond our perception.
The wellbeing ritual I never miss -
I teach Kundalini Yoga, study Japanese Tea ceremony and have been practising Qi Gong for years now. So these have become part of my ritual life and enjoyment of self development while also guiding others when I'm called too. Walking my dog keeps perfectly content too.
My favourite building -
I love these old Japanese temples. Daitoku-ji is a major Zen temple complex in Kyoto, and Ōbai-in, a sub-temple, is known for its beautiful Japanese garden, designed by the famous tea master and garden designer Sen no Rikyu. I admire the quality and detail of workmanship in this cultures artisans and architects.
In another life, I would -
Have been a trainer designer, fishing ghulie or ski instructor. Great passions of mine that never took off as a job. Still life is so beautiful I get to enjoy these as well as my business.
What is one message you would give to all your customers?
Honour and celebrate your sacred self every day. The land is sacred, so are you and so are we. Through the ebb and flow of life find trust in your own heart. Celebrate your imperfection. The Tahatan Way is a life-style choice that embodies authenticity in the way you love yourself and others. The hat inspires you on the ride.
Do you plan on adding anything else to upcycle besides hats in the future?
Yes. Our vision beyond hats is to collaborate with local artisans in the valley to produce ethical life goods, nature and fishing survival kits [with our hats], apparel, art, pop-up shops, and tea ceremony with custom hats. Everything we create and sell is a direct connection to what we love and how we live at Visium Tahatan. These products and more will be universal, made for everyone, to enjoy life to the fullest. Our commitment to quality and sustainability is paramount to our growth and authenticity.
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