I so met imes h ave t o p in ch mysel f t o remembe r th is st arted just th ree ye ars ago in C airns.
w inne r B est Hat ABM 2016
Ana Pribylova is one of the original members of the O asis family. Since her headpieces appeared in the launch issue back in August 2014, Ana’s star has shone bright. We recently caught up with Ana, to celebrate her skyrocketing success and endless achievements.
“It was just a hobby! As a social worker living in Cairns, I loved to delve into hat making. Amateurs 2014, I wanted a hat and wanted it to be original. I designed a paper hat for a competition and I won. Soon afterwards, I was asked to supply some pieces for a fashion shoot for a soon-to-be launched magazine. I can’t tell you how happy I was to see my design on the front cover of Oasis Magazine! I actually still have laminated copies on display in my London studio today.” “In 2015, I ticked off a bucket list item and attended to the D ubai World Cup. T here, I was named L ongines Most Elegant L ady from over 500 international contestants.T his was around the same time we decided to take a leap of faith, and move to the U K, where I could focus on my Millinery. Just fi e days after arriving, I attended Epsom Races, wearing a hat I finished stitching on the flight! For some reason, it amazed the U K racing fashion audience, and I placed in the T op 5 B est D ressed that day. I was still jet lagged! I had a lot of enquiries from that day. It was the best advertising I could do!” “T o improve my craft, I studied at the L ondon College of
L on gines Most Ele gant La d y 2015
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Meet Ana Pribylova: A HEAD OF HER TIME Fashion, and interned with UK’s leading Milliners. I learned the fine art of traditional millinery and modern techniques. I also won B est H at at Kempton Park L adies D ay. N eedless to say, my fi st year in the U K was a massive learning curve.I came back to Australia in N ovember 2015 for the Melbourne Cup, where I placed in the T op 10 Milliners in Australia.” I returned to D ubai in 2016, this time flying from my new home in London. I was commissioned to make a hat which went on to win Runner-U p B est D ressed. And I won B est H at. I was ecstatic!”
“At the Epsom D erby in 2016, I placed again in the T op 5 B est D ressed, and the following morning, after a full day of racing, I woke up to see my face on the covering half of the front page of The Times.” “At 2017 L ondon H at Week, I was so very happy to be selected for the H ouse of Ikons, who represent emerging designers. 800 people attended! And I’ve just returned from this years D ubai World Cup where I was asked to exhibit 25 pieces at the Meydan H otel - the longest hotel in the world. D ubai holds a special place in my heart; some very happy memories in my career happened there.” “I sometimes have to pinch myself to remember this started just three years ago, in Cairns. I’m so proud to be from a place of sunshine and warmth, and I miss it so much.”
D ub ai world cup 2016 B est Hat and runne r up l ad y
