Beads of Paradise:Kokott, Hatmaker and Then Some
Volume 49, Issue 10
By Nicole Pressly

“Timothy Kokott… hatmaker… and then some…” Not only is that his outgoing message, it’s also the name of his new company. And it perfectly sums up his life.

Known for his fanciful and beautiful one-of-a-kind handmade hats, Tim is a fixture in the Grove this summer and can occasionally be found wearing a huge black dred-locked wig on his shaven head. It fits right in with his bright sarong and skinny blonde goatee.

Kokott meticulously hand beads, creating anything from hats, scarves and wedding gowns to pet carriers and placemats. This fall during Fashion Week, he will launch his couture line under his own label. His new line of clothes feature very colorful, beach inspired, heavily-beaded costumes and swimsuits for men called “disco balls.” A fashion show at Sip ‘n Twirl in the Pines is planned as a sneak preview for Fire Islanders.

Just back from dressing the mother of the house—the head queen from the Latex Ball—(a fetish party that promotes safe sex awareness and features many of the queens from the film “Paris Is Burning,”), Kokott is focused on his upcoming fashion shows.

Kokott grew up one of eight children in Jamestown, North Dakota, the home of the country’s largest concrete buffalo.

“It is made out of something like three tons of concrete. The balls were so huge and spray painted neon, that you could walk under them.”

His parents encouraged their children to be creative. All of his siblings are artistic in some way, including a legally blind sister who creates wire sculptures.

“We didn’t have money but we always had supplies of paint, pens and clay,” he said.

Kokott took a school trip to France and bought fabric in Paris that inspired him in his teen years.

“It was spring in Paris, everything was that fresh bright green, and in North Dakota we were still under snow. I loved it,” he said.

With that material he made his first suit in vocational tech school and then studied in Minnesota with an apparel specialist. New York’s fashion scene was a natural progression.

Kokott works with Andy Kahoni at Body Worship—a fashion house in Chelsea that only produces one-of-a-kind specialty orders. Their clients include Janet Jackson, Madonna, Mary Blige and Pink.

“Janet paid for a special boat to take me to the Pines Party in 2002 because I was working so late on her outfit,” he said. The outfit is the now infamous floor length, blue latex costume with cock rings woven into it for the Busta Rhymes video.

“It was a very avant guarde outfit for a groundbreaking high tech video. We are paid very well by Janet to make her 12 look like a four.”

Tina Turner was so thankful for the black latex outfits they created for her “Simply the Best” tour that she invited them to watch her concert at Madison Square Garden in her private seats next to the stage.

“She had called desperate saying she couldn’t wear any of the outfits Dolce & Gabbana made for the tour. She wore one of our outfits for nine songs, which is rare,” he said.

Tim created her “Mad Max” piece—a corset vest that had destroyed and burned materials, sewn over vinyl. It took him eight hours straight to hand sew it.

And when Tina buys an outfit, they have to create five more.

“With all her gowns, I cut the dress up, just below the crotch. I call it Tina-ing a gown,” he said.

His path from the barren North Dakota wheat fields to Turner’s crotch has been long and at times arduous. Living below his employer’s store on Seventh Avenue for several months, Kokott had to find new housing last year when the company moved. He decided to move into the city’s shelter system to qualify for affordable housing. Staying at a shelter on Ward’s Island for five months, “talk about people using sex and drugs on the D.L.” Tim talks about how sad it was and how common sex and drugs were. Mistaken for a party boy because of his unusual appearance, Tim constantly has to explain himself. “I’ll have an occasional cocktail but I don’t do drugs. Maybe it’s the way I dance.”

Kokott’s work can be found at Razor in Park Slope, Body Worship on the Lower East Side and Jill Anderson in the East Village. This August Tim will host Sunday brunch at the Tides in Cherry Grove as a fundraiser for Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Donations will be accepted and fashion from Kokott’s line will be shown. And he still works for Body Worship.

“Its easier for him to use me than to copy my work.”