Meet Edie – the vibrant personality behind the hat store

To meet Edie Orenstein, the heart and soul behind Edie Hats, is to be touched by pure joy. Her enthusiasm, creativity, and unconditional love of life are irresistible.

Edie grew up in an artistic, theatrical family in a small town near Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was in this environment that Edie’s creativity was nurtured. From as far back as she can remember, hats and costumes were fuel for her imagination and tools for personal expression.

Edie attended the prestigious Costume Studies program at Dalhousie University, and went on to work extensively in theatre and film. For more than two decades, Edie has been an established hat designer, historian and expert.

The first Edie Hats opened in a small shop in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood over twenty years ago. In a mere five years, it had outgrown its location and Edie Hats moved to Granville Island where it has continued to thrive and grow, taking on legendary status as a must-see destination for both locals and visitors alike.

Today, Edie Hats is both a hat shop and a theatre. It is a consciously and carefully created space where people are encouraged to explore, create and try new things. It is place where beauty and pleasure, sensuality and playfulness reign supreme. Every object in the shop begs to be touched, picked up, tried on. And at night, the shop transforms into a real theatre, where Edie Hats presents magical evenings of music, dance and theatre -- live performances that enthrall and enchant.

Hats can be intimidating, but they can also be a highly expressive, dramatic accessory. Edie Hats will help to demystify the world of hats by providing information, knowledge and a magical space to play … and possibly transform.

Edie lives her life with intensity, passion and open-hearted joie de vivre. Edie Hats is an extension of that philosophy. To experience Edie Hats is to have a little taste of the freedom to enjoy, experiment and have fun.

Watch an interview with Edie about Edie Hats:

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