“Millinery at its core relies on the traditional techniques passed down from one milliner to the next - flower making particularly uses methods that have not changed much over the time and tools crafted in the Victorian era still hold use in a milliners studio to this day. We are lucky to have amassed a large collection of antique flower moulds and cutters with each one making a particular petal or leaf shape. ”

“The love of millinery introduced itself to me after winning a job lot of vintage veiling at an auction. The fragility of the material and fact that it survived unused for all those years made me want to learn more. London was the perfect place to do that, and I began training in millinery under some amazing tutors. After selling off some of my veiling I soon realised there was a market online for people like me who has a love of older hat making materials, and that is when Petershams began. 

One simply cannot become a milliner without appreciating the heritage of hat-making. Techniques in the trade are passed down from teacher to student, and more often than not each teacher has their own way of doing things - it is quite fascinating.

My business bestie Fiona’s grandmother and Aunt owned a haberdashery, so it feels like the family tradition is rolling on. I come from a long line of home-crafters and artists, so being in the hat trade is not too far off of my families creative roots.”