A hat making symposium for endangered crafts
The British Hat Guild and Heritage Crafts present a two-day symposium to celebrate Britain’s specialist millinery and hat making techniques that now feature on the Red List of Endangered Crafts. Hosted in the heritage-inspired surroundings of The Founders’ Livery Hall, and in partnership with the Worshipful Company of Feltmakers, the event will bring together makers, historians, designers and enthusiasts to honour skills deeply rooted in the nation’s cultural and fashion history.
Across a programme of talks on 16 and 17 May, the symposium will explore the craftsmanship, techniques and stories that define traditional hat-making. By shining a light on these remarkable skills and the people who practice them, the symposium offers an opportunity to appreciate their enduring relevance and to respect the rich legacy they represent within today’s British craft and design industry.
Saturday session 1:
- A Future for Heritage Crafts – Mary Lewis, Heritage Crafts
- Straw Plaiting and Strip Sewing – A Perfect Synergy – Lucy Barlow and Veronica Main MBE
- ‘Jaffe Feathers – UK’s last remaining Plumassiers’ – film
- My Fascination with Feathers –Ian Bennett
- Swiss Straw Braid Demonstrations – Jo Willis
Saturday session 2:
- Hand Pleating: From Flat to Form – Paul Stafford with Bridget Bailey
- Hats in Motion: Exploring Millinery through Marionette Puppetry – Rebecca Gray
- The UK’s Love Affair with Panamas – A History – Mavi Tzaig, The Panama Hat Company
- Flowers for the Queen: Inside the Craft of Royal Millinery – Rachel Trevor – Morgan
- Swiss Straw Braid Demonstrations – Jo Willis
Sunday session 1:
- Heritage Crafts in Education – Sarah Cant, The Kings Foundation and Vesna Pesic, Morley College
- Straw Hat Machines – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow – Harvy Santos and Claire Strickland
- Bowed-Felt Hatmaking: Rediscovering a Lost British Craft – Rachel Frost
Sunday session 2:
- The Hidden Craft Behind Every Hat – Catherine MorseBrown, Guy Morse Brown Hat Blocks
- Say it with Flowers: a conversation about traditional flower-making – Guilia Mio, Edwina Ibbotson and Petershams
- Celebrating 350 Years of Lock & Co – Ben Dalrymple, Lock & Co Hatters
