“I was taught to sew by my Great Aunty Wendy, she made her entire wardrobe and was always encouraging me with my creative endeavours. I inherited her treasured hat collection, including a fabulous 1960s headband adorned with pink organdy petals. I was delighted to discover photos of her wearing it to Buckingham Palace in 1969.

This heritage inspired me to start working with cotton organdy, crafting my own petal headbands, which have become a bit of a signature style of Bee Smith Millinery. I hope she would be proud to know that her legacy lives on through her hat.”

“I studied Fashion at University & started making hats for my final collection - the finishing touch! After graduation, I was working as a pattern cutter on Savile Row and they closed unexpectedly due to the recession. I saw this as my moment to go back to college and train to be a milliner and haven’t looked back.

Through the British Hat Guild I have been lucky enough to meet some amazing and talented milliners and they’ve taught me so much about the craft of millinery. For me, embracing this heritage connects my work to the rich traditions of millinery, honouring the legacy of those who came before while adding my own creative voice to the craft.

My family tree is all fairly creative, my grandparents met at Art school in the 1930s.  

Somewhere in the family tree there are members of the Merchant Taylors guild, but pretty hard to trace when your surname is Smith!”