WHY I COLLECT
“ There aren't very many dedicated millinery departments in British theatres, so I feel very privileged to be head of millinery and jewellery at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.
I actually started hat-making by chance. In the early 2000s, my mum booked us both a place on a millinery course called Make a Hat in a Day, or something similar. It was just supposed to be a nice thing for us to do together as we'redegree in Fine Art, and was looking for a creative career. I hadn't studied textiles at school, and it wasn't part of my degree course either, but I immediately became hooked on the traditional technique of hat-blocking. I undertook more training, and collecting became a natural part of making.
