The British Hat Guild is the national association of professional milliners, hatters and headwear designers, established in Spring 2019 as a way of exchanging ideas and promoting our unique heritage. We aim to provide guidance and support to future milliners, and to share our news with people who are as fascinated as we are by hats and hat-making.

Our Mission

The British Hat Guild seeks to encourage and promote the following ideas:

Craftsmanship
To recognise the excellence and quality of British millinery

Artistry
To distinguish the extraordinary sophistication of its members’ work

Heritage
To acknowledge the authenticity of our millinery tradition

Creativity
To celebrate the individuality and inventiveness of its members

Education
To encourage and support the learning and skills of millinery

Inspiration
To share our knowledge and be leaders in our field

How We Began

Our story began in a London pub in December 2017, with an informal gathering of milliners brought together by Carole Denford, founder of trade publication The Hat Magazine. An idea that Carole had been nurturing for some time was to re-instate a national association that would reflect the millinery industry in the 21st century.

Throughout 2018, she assembled a group of milliners and hat-makers, taking care to represent most areas of the industry, but mindful of the logistical and practical challenges that would lie ahead. Meetings were held, tasks assigned, and common aims and aspirations gradually took shape, the latter becoming formalised in our Constitution.

Those founder members have been joined, each year, by further members. We are so happy to welcome them, and look forward to gradually increasing our ranks further!

How we work

Since forming in 2019, one of our main objectives has been to establish a robust structure for the Guild, enabling us to fulfil our aims both now and for the future. Part of this structure includes several committees, each formed of a group of members.

Committees

Education
Events
Heritage
Membership
Social Media
Sustainability
Website

Officers

Chairman - Stephen Jones
Secretary - Carole Denford
Treasurer - Sarah Marshall

Directors

Carole Denford
Jess Collett
Misa Harada
Paul Stafford
Sally-Ann Provan
Sharon Bainbridge
Stephen Jones
William Chambers

Shareholders

Carole Denford
Harvy Santos
Judy Bentinck
Karen Henriksen
Noel Stewart
Stephen Jones