BUSINESS

Freehold native aims to take hat world by storm
Fashionable headgear
from iLids now
sported by celebrities
By Clare Marie celano
Staff Writer

Lisa Wilson (l) and Kristen Winnicki (r) model two hat designs from their Leather Lowrider collection. The two young women own and operate a hat business in Los Angeles that counts numerous celebrities among its clientele.

FREEHOLD — How does a kid from Freehold end up creating spectacular, made-to-order hats that are now topping the heads of celebrities like Madonna, Pamela Anderson and musician Tommy Lee?

Freehold native Kristen Winnicki, 28, who now lives in Los Angeles, isn’t quite sure herself. All she knows is that the Internet-based business, iLids, that she and her friend and partner, Lisa Wilson, started a year ago is keeping both women pretty busy as they wait in line for acting auditions, return calls and all that other "stuff" actors have to deal with.

The two aspiring actresses have found a way to earn a living while they wait to "make it" in the entertainment industry.

According to Winnicki, who graduated from Red Bank Catholic High School in 1992, she attended the University of California at Santa Barbara as a pre-med student. Graduating with a degree in bio-psychology, somewhere along the line Winnicki switched gears. After graduation, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the field of entertainment. It was there she met Wilson.

Winnicki took a job at a talent agency in between acting jobs which included a role on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Hang-time. Most recently, the young actress landed a recurring role on the UPN television series Shasta McNasty, although the show has since been canceled.

Her partner, Wilson, 26, a native of Michigan, was busy working at an advertising agency. The two women decided that working together, they could start a business, get the credit themselves and "call the shots" while waiting for their turn at the big time.

The idea of creating hats came into play when Wilson took a job at a trade show. She was wearing one of the company’s hats that she was representing. Winnicki said the rhinestone trend was just under way.

"People just loved the hat," Winnicki said. "We thought if we could make hats that were better, cuter, prettier and even customize them, we might really have something."

They did just that.

Winnicki said she and Wilson started the business on a very low budget, with no storefront and only Internet clientele. They set up a Web site and bingo, they were in business.

"We pooled the resources that we had derived from all our past jobs and we learned whatever we needed to learn, then asked a lot of questions," Winnicki explained.

The Internet, although providing business, was "too slow" for the women, so they opened up a one-room showroom-office. The bulk of their business now comes from doing it the old-fashioned way — trial-and-error marketing. The women pound the pavement, selling their wares from boutique to boutique, and to date they have lined up more than 30 boutiques willing to sell their head toppers.

The head gear comes in any number of shapes and designs, any of which can be customized and tailored to be one of a kind. Winnicki said that shoppers can choose from more than 100 styles of hats to suit their own personalities. Customers are able to choose a hat style and then decide whether to dress it up with studs, rhinestones, buttons, feathers or embroidery.

The Los Angeles-based company has been dubbed "the hottest spot on the bod." Children’s designs start at about $20 with "bucket"-style hats beginning at around $40. The most expensive hats in suede or leather run about $110.

The partners have gained notoriety by taking a leap of faith and approaching celebrities at clubs and outings in Los Angeles. In fact, according to Winnicki, Madonna owns a crocheted head rag covered with Swarovski crystals, and Pamela Anderson wears a wide-brim straw Pretty Woman hat with crystals and feathers. The women are also working with Carmen Electra in designing an iLids especially for her. Some other celebrities wearing iLids headgear are Lisa Hartman-Black, Patricia Arquette as well as band members from Counting Crows and Incubus.

iLids also designs a "stash it" pouch, which attaches to the inside of the hats to hold valuables. Winnicki said this makes it unnecessary to even carry a purse. Everything you need is right under your hat.

Winnicki is enjoying both the creative process of making the hats as well as the lifestyle it allows her to live.

"I knew I had a talent for being creative and for running a business," Winnicki said. "I knew I wanted to contribute to society, enjoy myself and earn a living at the same time. iLids has given me an outlet for all of those avenues and still allows me the freedom to work as an actress. I enjoy making people look good and feel great."

Looking good and feeling good about yourself are two things the women take very seriously. When Winnicki said she wanted to "give back to the community," she meant it. For every 20 hats sold, iLids donates one hat to the American Cancer Society. So far, their company has donated more than 50 hats as part of the society’s program called Look Good, Feel Better.

"The program teaches women who are undergoing chemotherapy treatment how to use makeup and hats and bandannas to help them look good and feel better about themselves," Winnicki explained.

The pair has also developed a line of hats and bandannas called American Pride. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the young women donate 10 percent of the line’s sale proceeds to the American Red Cross.

Winnicki said she would love to see iLids make an appearance on the East Coast, and she’s working on that idea. When she comes home, she takes certain items with her and doesn’t have any trouble selling them, but she’d really like to be able to have people see the whole line in person.

More information on the business is available at the Internet Web site www.HOTiLids.com or by calling toll-free 1-866-93iLids.