About

I have a very small head. A tiny head. Hats never fit me, but I have always loved them!

One year my mother asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I asked for a Philip Treacy hat. So off we went to his shop in London, but his everyday range were too big for me (of course) and his headpieces were far too expensive as a present. That is when I decided to learn to make my own hats, which would be me-sized!

I started off with a one day a week evening course at the London College of Fashion, and I was hooked! After only the second lesson I applied to do an HNC Millinery course at Kensington and Chelsea College and I was called for an interview. I needed to bring samples of hats I had made, but I only had one only-just-started-couldn't-really-be-called-a-hat creation so I was very nervous, especially when I saw that the girl before me had boxes and boxes of very-definitely hats.

What I did have were designs of hats, lots of designs of hats, based on an Anish Kapoor sculpture and the Lloyd Building in London. My degree in Architecture helped me win my place, as although I didn't know how to actually make a hat (yet) I did know the design process!

On the condition that I finish my evening course and complete a summer school at London College of Art, I was offered a place.

I quit my job from an event design company and retrained as a milliner.

 

After a wonderful year studying under Ian Bennett and Kirsten Scott I was rewarded a distinction.

My dad came to my end of of year show, I had to warn him beforehand that my hats were not pretty feather and flower hats, my theme was 'Transience'. I had a rotting headpiece that made my model throw up, one burned with battery acid (thanks Ian for the use of your old motorcycle battery!) and one made of ice that gave my model brain freeze.

 Kirsten Scott recommended me to do work experience with Sarah Cant, and then to work in Marie Mercié’s studio in Paris. After which I worked with the amazing Sally Ruddock-Riviere. We worked on hats for the theater, events, fashion shows, and even the circus.

 

Like many milliners designing a new style of hat, I start with a paper version; moulding and shaping it into the shape I want, before recreating it in sinamay or buckram. Over the years I learned to really love paper, how it can be soft and malleable, yet also strong and rigid. You can get so many more amazing patterns and designs in paper than in fabric, I get a heart jump when I see a beautiful paper design, I can never resist buying them. Washi is especially good to use as it dyes so well, you can get incredibly vibrant colours. 

I have slowly started working with paper more and more, learning about origami, kirigami, papercrafts, nets, polygons, and paper folding. 

This led me to start my 'So Hot Dim Sum' range, which includes necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings and cuff links. The trickiest part was making them solid and durable enough for everyday wear. After trying many combinations of stiffeners, varnishes and fillers, I have perfected my technique so that my pieces are hard wearing and solid. See the Creative Process page to find out more.

When I used to sell them at craft fairs I would bang them on the table and squeeze them to show customers how durable they are. They look so delicate and fragile, people are always so surprised when they feel how strong they are!

So Hot Dim Sum's name is inspired from my home, Hong Kong. 'So Hot' sounds very similar to the Cantonese word for math, dim sum (which we all love to eat!) actually means ‘touch the heart’. I found it perfect for my geometric pieces that I really love making. All the names of the collections in So Hot Dim Sum are names of different teas to follow the yum cha theme.

 

I have gradually combined my two loves, millinery and paper!