This was originally published in Watch The Skies, April 2024 issue.

What Covereth Thine Noggin?

When considering what to chat about with our next talented member of our crowd, I needed to figure out what in particular I could ask about! Our fabulous editor in chief is a multi-talented renaissance man worthy of this interview format! In the end, asking about Helm Haven Renaissance Wear was the place we decided to land.

What brought you to start your own garb shop? How did you get started doing this?

Jeff: Gifting. I blame gifting and also the simple idea that if I really wanted
to have something to wear at Faire, I could settle for what everyone was making
or create my own. Sure, you can do work for hire with many talented renfaire
costumers but there’s definitely something to be said about wearing your own
creations. One holiday season after making gifts, one of my friends told me, “You
should be selling these.” The statement became reality, and I started up an Ebay
shop. A few years later, I added an Esty shop. I don’t do full garb unless it’s for
myself and primarily my items are hats, capes, handwarmers, feathers and
sundry other items. I have no exact count, but I am sure that I have sold more
than 1.5k individual items online.

You do all the cutting and sewing – these are all custom, hand made, one of a kind creations?

Jeff: Mostly, these are based off of one pattern I created for each item, so
some are one of a kind and others are not. Hats are usually one style in one
material and different sizes. Simply, makes sense to cut more than one at a time.
The capes and handwarmers are in between, I’ve made some exactly the same,
but most have some small differences if they are of the same material. Different
ornaments or trim can set them apart. I have also done custom pieces upon
request. There have been several capes specifically for weddings and even a
whole wedding party. I once made a hat for a sculpture of Martin Luther for a
customer. The best was a set of red capes for a production of Volpone by the
Red Bull Theater in New York. There needed to be two because Hamish Linklater
was in New York and Andre de Shields was in L.A. and since the production was
done via Zoom, they needed to appear to hand the cape from one character to
another.

Do you have a favorite piece that you’ve done? Or, one that you really didn’t want to let go of?

Jeff: Back to gifting once again, my favorite pieces have been given away. I
made a full-length cape and handwarmer set for a friend, a capelet for another
and a fighting cape for a third. Since they were gifts, I was willing to try different
things and spend more time on them and was happy with the results.

Do you have any pieces that have surprised you or given you a special reaction from the customer?

Jeff: I am always surprised when people send me pictures of themselves wearing the items. Sometimes it’s as simple as a hat completing a costume that obviously took a lot of work on their part. I love being at faire and suddenly realizing that someone just walked by wearing something of mine. Doesn’t happen a lot but it’s awesome when it does.

A very big thank you to Jeff for sharing his story with us! Head over to the shop and check out all the options!