Master Milliner and Educator, Louise Macdonald shares the inspiring process to create this magnificent hat that reached the Finals of the Oaks Day Millinery Award 2017. There is always a fascinating story behind the hat.

Photo: Richard Shaw



All your hats have an imaginative title, what did you label…

Congratulations to Angie Jackman whose headpiece caught the eye of judges at the 2020 Spring Carnival Millinery Award. This masterpiece received runner-up with inter-weaving of shape and colour to create such a unique work of art.

Perusing your millinery designs we are drawn to the geometrical line of all your work - simplistic with occasional feather or…

Discover how to add a transparent extension following the circumference of a hat, or hand sculpt an elevated sweep to combine with a headpiece.

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Very few milliners are given the chance to exhibit their headwear in a National Museum. Melbourne milliner and designer Angela Menz was so excited to be asked to exhibit her creation, rewarding her for her passion for Fashion on the Field. 

Photos: @ontrackontrend

How did the Winx outfit idea develop?

Winx was racing at…

Add a fresh look to crinoline used in your styling and give your millinery a distinctive design.

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UK Milliner Christopher Garner has the ability to create headwear that is delightfully demure or fantastically whimsical, all of which delight the beholder. 

What do you love most about Millinery?

There are so many things that I love most about millinery so this is such a difficult question to answer (laughs out loud). I love the…

Merry Christmas to all and a Happy Hatty New Year for 2021. Thank you for your ongoing support and loyalty through 2020. We look forward to bringing more exciting additions to Hat Academy next year!

Explore all the 2020 highlights on Hat Academy and browse the…

Congratulations to Melbourne Milliner, Stephanie Spencer who received the 2020 Melbourne Cup Millinery Award. This COVID year has been the most challenging of all for milliners globally. Shoes as a Hat epitomises our feelings as our normal worlds have been turned upside down. A Milliner commented prior to the judging, "I love the ballet shoes hat. So clever and beautiful.” This certainly…

Milliner Rosemary Kanko Arthur truly believes “Through simplicity comes great Beauty” as she designs intricate and delicate headwear for customers in Ghana. Her love of nature, plants and flowers is reflected in all her designs with added sparkle and brilliance.



What do you love most about Millinery?

Making hats brings out my creativity and are simpler to…

Discover creative and practical millinery techniques to create a stunning headpiece that suspends gracefully over the face.
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Waltraud Reiner has inspired countless students to discover their own millinery passion.
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Spend time with Master Milliner and International Educator Louise Macdonald and gain practical hat making tips gained from 25+ years in the Millinery industry.
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Capture Sophie Allport's passion for leather in your own millinery styling as you learn new techniques for modern materials.
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Congratulations to Cynthia Jones-Bryson who received the Top Award in the coveted Melbourne Oaks Day Millinery Award 2019, with this strikingly beautiful hat. As a second time winner of this Millinery Award, Cynthia is an affirmed master of feather finesse with her millinery styling.

All your hats have an imaginative title, what have you labelled this…

Manipulate robust buntal straw to create showstopping trims with a concealed sinamay edge on a blocked buntal beret.
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Amy Jo Traylor of Florida, US is on a mission to see women wearing hats. Like many milliners she started making for herself and soon people were asking, “Where did you get that Fantastic hat from?” ….and so she established her business 'Amy Jo Original Hats’  in 2014. Her love of colour and bold trims and…

Adam Brand is known globally as 'The Flower Man' and rightfully so as he manages the family business in New York to produce the most exquisite flowers to adorn milliners headwear and fashion designers creations. 

'Ana Bella Millinery' is now a well recognized brand globally, with a defining signature styling that readily catches the eye of judges and the media. Discover Ana Pribylova's millinery journey from small beginnings in Australia to featured in the Royal Ascott Style Guide.



What do you love most about Millinery?

I love that there are so many different facets of…

Isobel Robinson is the tireless milliner behind the label 'Lillibets Millinery' in West Yorkshire, UK. She commenced her creative journey making unique jewellery but once she discovered the synergy between jewellery and millinery she took the courageous step away from her corporate job to venture full-time into this wonderful world of never ending creativity.



Most of her headwear or jewellery is…

Create elegant wide brimmed hats by shaping woven buntal straw without the need of hat blocks.
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