Although the prizes given in Millinery Competitions are always a draw card, the real gain for entering a competition is the challenge to extend your skills to define what you thought you could never achieve. Milliner Chris Mullane rose to this challenge for the Millinery Award 2021 taking inspiration from a recent holiday.

In these pandemic times…

Creative expression in fashion can take many forms. For Maree Starkey, millinery was a natural progression after many years working in interior and couture bridal design. 



What sparked your interest in millinery?

After many years of Dressmaking and Interior Design I started making Bespoke Bridal and Evening wear. I decided to do a…

Make every day creative.

As a Studio+ member you'll receive online learning, a hat store, discounted supplies and more.

» Learn…

Congratulations to Holly Sansalone of West Australia on her third place win in the recent MIMC competition for her “Mother of the…

"My visit to “Hat Blocks Australia" by Ruth Connor.

Recently my husband and I planned a trip to Adelaide in South Australia, and I thought this might be the perfect opportunity to drop in on Darryll and Renee, the warm and amazing couple who make up Hat Blocks Australia.

We found Hat Blocks Australia in a sparsely populated area just outside…

Product photography is the final step in bringing your beautiful creations to life, yet it can all to often be the last thing we think about and it can often make or break how we show the world our beautiful pieces of art.  

We have all seen the covers of glossy magazines, with models wearing elaborate makeup, sleek hairstyles and designer dresses and while we would…

Create your own sand bag ready to hand tool each petal in the French Flowermaking Lessons. View this free video for full instructions along with a downloadable pattern.…

Explore all the 2021 highlights from Hat Academy and the millinery industry.
» 2021

A massive thank you to all members who have shared photographs of their millinery as we celebrate over 20,000 photographs on the Hat Academy community! With inspiring headwear photos in all styles and genre, we asked 10 of our regular contributors to discuss their favourite.…

Knowing and creatively expressing who are ”My Tribe” was the millinery challenge for the Student Design Competition organised by the Millinery Association of Australia. Runner up winner, Angie Jackman created a mandala, a circular design expressing…

The Millinery Association of Australia Design Award for 2021 focused on the Theme - ‘ The 20’s - Past, Present, Future.’  With the judging criteria based on originality and creativity, relevance to the era, quality of work, degree of difficulty and wearability in terms of comfort and stability, milliners became…

Gemma Holley Millinery

Hi Jon could you tell us a bit about The Portrait Kitchen?

We are a husband and wife portrait service. Jon is the photographer and Anjee manages our clients and provides input around styling. We used to hire studio space but one day decided to run…

This year for the first time in its history, the Melbourne Cup Carnival is going ahead without crowds. Whilst we can’t go to Flemington this year, many traditions continue, and we can all still enjoy the Carnival by celebrating at home. Since March, I have been dressing up and making an event of following the races at home. Along the way, I have learnt a few tricks I can share with you to help…

Learn from acclaimed Milliner and Tutor Sophie Allport, this contemporary interpretation of the classic Breton Hat adds height and elegance.

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Living in an isolated small outback town in Queensland, Australia has not deterred Milliner Sherilee Honnery from forging ahead to create her own millinery design label. The pandemic certainly has not made it any easier but Sherilee has pursued her passion and love for leather to create stunning headwear. 

How did you come into Millinery?

I have a small head…

What does it take to prepare for a millinery collection photoshoot? Discover how Cessiah Alice Millinery brought it all to fruition.

Photos by Cessiah Alice Millinery. Behind the scenes photos by Rebecca Mira Photography.

Make-up time with the very talented local Sophie McDermott…

Louise Macdonald's love for buntal straws led to developing innovative techniques to create stylish caps and berets for smart casual wear or a day at the races.

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Head sizing is not as simple as wrapping a tape measure around your clients head. Firstly we need to recognise how sensitive the skull is as it is so close to the nerve centre, the brain with so many nerve endings. This may mean that a hat you have made perfectly sized to…

Talented young milliner, Sophie Allport has based her distinctive styling on her love of using a natural, pliable product with a great variety of colour and texture. Sophie shares her journey with tips on how to develop your unique style of headwear.

What do you love most about Millinery?

I love that since starting millinery I have been able to combine a lot of different aspects…

Become proficient in wirework as you learn to construct unique millinery with structural integrity and refined finish.
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