Today we’d like to introduce you to Enrico Busto.
Hi Enrico, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Ciao! I grew up in Italy and learned how to sew and embroider from my mom, who worked as a seamstress and made all of my clothes when I was a kid. I studied Business Administration in Venice, Italy, and went on to have a long and accomplished career in marketing, working for two of Italy’s top football teams. It wasn’t until several years of being on the wrong path that I decided to leave it all and move to LA, which had been a lifelong dream. I found myself in Topanga Canyon, literally and spiritually. I was on a hike one Saturday with my then girlfriend, now wife, when we had a long walk and conversation about my path. It was that day that I realized I wanted to revisit a craft that I had taken on many years before in Italy, making hats. I began to collect clients at my house in Topanga and we’d work together on custom creations. And I got to know more of the people in this special place. My wife and I decided to test our fate and opened our first store in the middle of the pandemic, in the heart of Topanga. It’s been beyond fulfilling and catapulted my business to a new level. The most important part of my work though is getting to meet Topanga locals and LA treasures, many of whom I consider lifelong friends.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It’s challenging work. It’s manual. It requires skill, focus and presence. The real struggle, I feel, is that sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day to get to sit and chat with people, to really savor every part of a conversation and just wander.
We’ve been impressed with Busto and Sun, Custom Hats, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I create custom hats for all shapes, sizes and walks of life. We start from scratch, measuring the size and shape of each individual head. My clients then walk with me through the process of designing a hat. They get to choose the shape, color, height, materials and detailing. After about two weeks, I either ship the hats to my out-of-town clients or they come to the shop for the final fitting to make sure everything feels and looks great. I try to give people a great and uplifting experience throughout, advising on where to take their creations, what they want to express and how to think about the process. My brand is a mix of the old and new worlds. Venetian traditions, using exquisite materials, and new world optimism and color.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I gave a Ted Talk earlier this year in Italy, and the theme was ‘Embracing invisible results.’ It was all about following your heart and staying focused, even when the gratification isn’t immediate, especially when it isn’t immediate. The small victories don’t even feel like victories sometimes, but they’re there, and they matter.
Pricing:
- Custom straw hats, starting at $550
- Custom felt hats, starting at $750
Contact Info:
- Instagram: busto_and_sun
Image Credits
Steven Wood Photography
