Spend enough time on Instagram, and you’ll inevitably come across Melissa Forde. Whether it’s a flawless selfie on Forde’s account, a regram of one of her excellent #MTFphotography images, or a dance video with BFF Rihanna, her handiwork is unmistakable. Now, Forde is adding bucket hats to the mix, with a new line in collaboration with Wrking Title.
For the collaboration, Forde joined Wrking Title, the hat company of pal Wale, as creative director. The results are bucket hats in a range of colors and materials: pink pineapple print, sleek black mesh, and a Rasta motif that takes you back to the Caribbean.
"[Buckets] just so happened to be my favorite hats, but I couldn't always find the ideal fit or style," says Forde. "So when Wale asked me to design hats with his company, it seemed like the right time to design my own hat just the way I wanted it to be for me."
Forde wasn't alone in her quest for the perfect bucket hat. Starting tomorrow, Opening Ceremony will exclusively carry the line. Since we can barely contain our excitement, we caught up with the new creative director ahead of the launch to talk about the inspo behind the hats, life in the public eye, and taking the perfect selfie—in a M$$ x WT bucket hat of course.
The M$$ x WT bucket hats will be available in Opening Ceremony stores and online starting March 31
See the lookbook here
CHLOE DEWBERRY: With your background in photography, you have a specific eye when it comes to capturing moments. How did you use that same skill to design your first collection of hats?
MELISSA FORDE: Photography is a huge passion of mine and I love being able to look back at those moments and feel as if I'm right there again. They're like tons of bottled memories I can relive with just a glance. With the hats, I wanted them to not only be cool with a great fit, but I also wanted people to be happy and create their own fun memories—in style of course.
I love your choice of prints. Why did you choose to incorporate the pineapples? Is that your favorite fruit? Take us through your print/fabric selection.
I chose the rasta print to represent the collaboration between Wale and myself. With him being African and myself Caribbean, the print was perfect and initially my favorite. The pineapple print is for my girly girls—I'm a bit of a tomboy when it comes to my style lately. It's not necessarily my favorite fruit, but I will say Hawaii has the sweetest pineapples like, ever. Nonetheless, I still wanted to provide a fly, cute print to rock in the spring and it's become a favorite for everybody, so I'm really happy about that. Black Beauty is the neoprene mesh and I really love this one mainly because it's such a different choice of fabric to use. It's fly and super clean, plus great for everyday wear no matter the outfit.
Where does the name M$$ come from?
The name M$$ was just a joke between my friends and me that I used for my social media platforms. I kept it as the name for my hats because now it's really stuck with me; I have ra
For the collaboration, Forde joined Wrking Title, the hat company of pal Wale, as creative director. The results are bucket hats in a range of colors and materials: pink pineapple print, sleek black mesh, and a Rasta motif that takes you back to the Caribbean.
"[Buckets] just so happened to be my favorite hats, but I couldn't always find the ideal fit or style," says Forde. "So when Wale asked me to design hats with his company, it seemed like the right time to design my own hat just the way I wanted it to be for me."
Forde wasn't alone in her quest for the perfect bucket hat. Starting tomorrow, Opening Ceremony will exclusively carry the line. Since we can barely contain our excitement, we caught up with the new creative director ahead of the launch to talk about the inspo behind the hats, life in the public eye, and taking the perfect selfie—in a M$$ x WT bucket hat of course.
The M$$ x WT bucket hats will be available in Opening Ceremony stores and online starting March 31
See the lookbook here
CHLOE DEWBERRY: With your background in photography, you have a specific eye when it comes to capturing moments. How did you use that same skill to design your first collection of hats?
MELISSA FORDE: Photography is a huge passion of mine and I love being able to look back at those moments and feel as if I'm right there again. They're like tons of bottled memories I can relive with just a glance. With the hats, I wanted them to not only be cool with a great fit, but I also wanted people to be happy and create their own fun memories—in style of course.
I love your choice of prints. Why did you choose to incorporate the pineapples? Is that your favorite fruit? Take us through your print/fabric selection.
I chose the rasta print to represent the collaboration between Wale and myself. With him being African and myself Caribbean, the print was perfect and initially my favorite. The pineapple print is for my girly girls—I'm a bit of a tomboy when it comes to my style lately. It's not necessarily my favorite fruit, but I will say Hawaii has the sweetest pineapples like, ever. Nonetheless, I still wanted to provide a fly, cute print to rock in the spring and it's become a favorite for everybody, so I'm really happy about that. Black Beauty is the neoprene mesh and I really love this one mainly because it's such a different choice of fabric to use. It's fly and super clean, plus great for everyday wear no matter the outfit.
Where does the name M$$ come from?
The name M$$ was just a joke between my friends and me that I used for my social media platforms. I kept it as the name for my hats because now it's really stuck with me; I have ra