I fell into millinery in 2012, but, looking back to many years ago while studying fashion & design, I was actually making hats then!!  I am an award winning milliner, a member of the British Millinery Association and DCCI – Design & Crafts Council of Ireland.

I have been sewing from a very young age, when my mum passed down her sewing skills from her Nanna. An interesting fact I found out when tracing my family tree was that I discovered I come from a generation of family tailors and seamstresses in Melbourne – so it’s in the blood!  I even found out that my descendants made the tracksuits for the 1950’s Olympics in Melbourne Australia!!!

I moved to Northern Ireland from Melbourne with my family in the late 80s, studying city & guilds and fashion & design.  Unfortunately this road at a young age, was not for me. So I trained in computers and business administration amongst other things then with a change in job circumstances many years later in 2012, I craved something other than the “nine to five”, but I really think that I wanted to return to creating.  So when an opportunity arose to work for myself after the company I worked for was going through redundancies, I jumped at the chance.  Since then, I’ve had fun establishing my business beginning from my home studio to then expanding in October 2019 and renting my first retail space from The Designerie in Bushmills to now venturing out on my own with my own hat studio located in Ballymoney.  Since working for myself, I have been on TV, newspapers and recently my headwear was worn by my client when she won “Most Stylish” at the Down Royal races in Nov 24.  My inspiration, I believe, comes from my world around me, ie visit other countries on holidays, flowers in a garden, artwork and also dreams – anything really!

I design and create pieces that are mostly commission based for weddings and race days so these are very limited in number, keeping as sustainable as possible.  I also began hiring out my headwear in summer 2024.