“The hat is made using vintage veiling as the main inspiration and feature of the hat.
I created a large circular brim with the veiling which I attached to a silk covered base. This piece has used vintage material, meaning it is a unique one off piece, is made to last.
One of the things I love about hat making is that you only need small pieces of fabric so it’s really easy to create pieces from vintage off cuts or dead stock fabric. These limited pieces of material can often dictate the outcome of the hat making it a true collaboration between your own creativity and the fabric, with many unexpected results that were better than originally planned!
Creating objects of beauty and craftsmanship with sustainability at the centre is a wonderful antidote to fast fashion and the damaging effects this can have on the environment. Working on a smaller scale helps to keep these traditional ways of making alive for future generations.
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About Ellie Vallerini
Ellie began her Millinery career in London taking short courses and internships before gaining a position as designer/maker in 2012 for Royal Milliner John Boyd. Over the next 6 years Ellie worked at his Knightsbridge Atelier honing her craft and design skills as well as seeing clients on a one to one basis.
In 2017 Ellie started her own business making elegant hats for weddings, races and events which show her love of colour, simplicity and style. Using traditional millinery techniques and a variety of materials, she makes each hat by hand creating an object of beauty and exquisite craftsmanship.
More recently her business has expanded to include commissions for TV, Film and theatre which Ellie finds really rewarding and loves the variety this side of her work brings. Projects include hats for; Channel 4’s Year of the Rabbit, Netflix’s Sex Education, Kanye West video and several hats and 3D costumes for Madame Tussaud’s.
Ellie is thrilled to have been awarded a QEST Scholarship and is excited to see what the next chapter in her Millinery journey holds as part of the QEST family.