It didn’t begin with a business plan – instead, it was a photograph.
It was taken in Santa Barbara, on a bright Fiesta day, when everything felt a little more vivid than usual. I was dressed up, wearing a hat with a red flower, feeling quietly pleased with how the whole look had come together. Later, when I looked at the photograph, something small but insistent caught my eye. The red flower in my hat felt unfinished. I remember thinking, ‘It would have been perfect had I been wearing red gloves – fingerless (for the weather and practicality) – to complement it.’
So, curious, I went looking for fingerless gloves. And I found… nothing.
And that absence became the beginning.
Getting the best on board
I knew that if I was going to create an elegant kind of fingerless glove, for daily and event wear, it had to be done properly, with the best materials, the best minds, and a great deal of patience. That instinct led me to Deborah Shulton at Textile Solutions in the UK. Deborah understood immediately what I was trying to do: not simply make a glove, but create something refined, modern, and quietly luxurious.
What followed was a months-long journey into fabric – researching, testing, refining.
Oh, the fastidious sample testing!
We looked for textiles that would feel ‘pampering’ against the skin, offer UV protection, and move effortlessly with the hands. I was particularly drawn to the idea of a glove that felt seamless – one without a separate thumb panel – so the shape would remain elegant and uninterrupted, both visually and to the touch. It is far more complex than it sounds, but that subtlety is exactly what makes these gloves feel so special.
Even now, the work continues. New fabrics, new ideas, new ways of making the gloves feel lighter, softer, and more refined. It’s a living process, and one that I’m all-in on.
Now, Nancy Hassett is, at its heart, a response to a small moment of noticing – a colour in a photograph, and an inspiring feeling of ‘this could be better’. From that, a new accessory emerged, one that allows the hands to be part of the story, not an afterthought.
That is how it began. Quietly, thoughtfully, and with a great deal of care.
Throughout my whole life I’ve never done things in halves… and I sincerely hope you delight in my fingerless gloves, as the result.
