Alison Cooper won 1st place in the ‘From Charity Shop to Ascot’ upcycling competition.
“This design was inspired by the Clematis flowers growing on the trellis in my garden. I wanted to create a striking modern hat with the Royal Ascot wow factor.
Within the limitations of the British Hat Guild ‘Charity Shop to Ascot’ competition rules, only materials from the original charity shop hats could be used (other than wire and structural materials that are not seen). This created some challenges as I used nearly all the various components of the 3 hats, but was also very limited on the amount of materials I had available.”
The hat is made of parisisal straw which has been blocked and used to create all of the flowers and leaves. The central part of the hat is made of woven petersham ribbon and fabric trims from the 3 hats to reflect the criss-cross of a trellis design. Using all components of the 3 original hats means that very little has been wasted.
The charity shop hats before the transformation
photo by Liz Greenhalgh Photography
I have always loved creating things and started making hats 15 years ago, whilst working full time as a nurse in the NHS. I attended a millinery workshop and became completely hooked! I have completed a range of courses to learn various millinery skills and techniques, including at Central St. Martins and Morley College, London. In 2022 I won the Worshipful Company of Feltmakers' Design Award.
I live by the principle of minimising harm to the environment, which is reflected through being vegetarian most of my life and considering how to use precious resources wisely. This is reflected in my millinery, as I often use quality vintage trims, materials and sometimes deconstructed old hats in creating my designs. I have also used dead stock designer fabric and vintage scarves for hats and linings.
Most of my designs are made with natural materials and I limit the use of plastic or synthetics, or try to source a pre-loved alternative.