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Kris Hughes is a druid who's happy when he's inspired.
What do clothes mean to you?
I think clothes represent who I am. They represent Kris the professional, Kris the pagan or Druid and also the anonymous person that passes you in the street.
Tell me about this hut in the middle of the forest.
It's quite a luxurious hut really, and it's been here for about seven or eight years. It's in the north of Anglesey and we were very fortunate that the owners of this land (which is about eighteen acres) built the hut especially for us, the Anglesey Druid Order. It's a place where we can come and celebrate the turn of the year as well as a place to celebrate our inspiration.
How would you explain what the Anglesey Druid Order is, is it a religion, a belief, a way of life or a source of poetic inspiration?
I think all of those are a part of what we are. Maybe there is a religious element to my life, but it's also a way of life for me - a way to express the connection between myself and my country, our history and our culture as Welsh speakers - it can all be expressed through poetic inspiration.
What do you wear from day to day at work?
In terms of profession, I am what you would call a pathological anatomy technologist, which means I work in a mortuary. I conduct post-mortem examinations on people that have died of natural causes the cause of which is unestablished, on suicides and on murder cases. Some of the work I do is quite harrowing. I usually have two sets of clothes for work. When I meet members of the public who've come to the chapel of rest to visit relatives, I wear a suit, a shirt and a tie, but I'd say I spend around 80% of the day wearing scrubs.
Do you think your style is different?
When I was asked to appear on Cwpwrdd Dillad, I thought to myself that I had nothing unusual or interesting in my wardrobe, but having rummaged through my clothes, I'd say that I do own quite unusual things. Some of my clothes are very ordinary of course. Sometimes I like to look different and stand out in a crowd but at other times I like to blend into the background.
This long red coat is fantastic. Where did you get this?
This coat was made especially for me by a girl from Norfolk that owns a company called Sinwear, so it fits me perfectly. I was going to the wedding of a couple of gay friends in Scotland. The party was quite a 'high-society' affair and full of posh people. So I decided that I wanted to wear something red to show everyone I was Welsh, but I also wanted a little tartan because we were in Scotland. We were near the Mull of Kintyre in a grand castle so I wanted something special. I think 'ostentatious' was the first word that I heard to describe my outfit, but I didn't think it was ostentatious at all, just a little eccentric and grand!
This is a sparkly coat...where did you get it from?
I don't think men really get a chance to wear enough 'bling'. This coat is brilliant especially if there are bright lights at a party. But there is a danger that someone will get open-heart surgery when a laser-beam bounces of the coat!
Even though you are tall, you wear long coats that make you look even taller don't you?
I probably don't feel I'm tall enough! For some reason I feel that long coats give me a lift - I feel it's more imposing in some way.
Do you like to make a grand entrance when you enter a room?
Yes I do. I think it's kind of a public service in a way - to make someone smile! If someone has been worried all day about going to a party or don't want to go even, then they see me walk in wearing this coat, they're going to think to themselves, 'oh, this party isn't so bad after all!'
This spider brooch is very unusual, where did you get this from?
I quite like spiders. I've never been afraid of them, which is quite funny considering that the rest of my family are arachnophobic! I think I feel a little sorry for the spiders that come to face to face with the sole of a slipper! I saw this brooch, and I've also got another one that I bought in Salem, Massachusetts in America, and I thought, 'I have a coat that would be perfect with this brooch'. So I think it's more about the 'bling' of the brooch rather that it being a spider's web!
This is a striking outfit. When did you wear this?
I wore this for an interview with Laurence Llewelyn Bowen on the Holiday programme on the BBC. I think he expected a druid to wear simple, plain clothes. When he saw me walking into Plas Newydd in Anglesey wearing this outfit, he said, "Well, look at you, aren't you a vision of chicness and I was expecting something a little more homespun!" I think people have a preconception of what a Druid or pagan should look like and I probably don't fit that stereotype in my pinstripe and spider's web!
What do you wear when you're performing ceremonies?
People ask me why I wear robes and cloaks for ceremonies, but you never hear anyone asking the Orsedd why they wear robes in the Eisteddfod. It's a part of their role in a way, like a clergyman or anyone that's part of an Order. I only wear my robes for ceremonies. But it's no different to when people spend and hour, an hour and a half, preparing to go out to a nightclub. It's the same for us when we prepare to go and meet the gods and our ancestors - we like to look the part.
- CWPWRDD DILLAD