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Millinery. The new black?

Tucked away in one of the function rooms at the Wagga Commercial Club during the month of* June, one of the most prestigious millinery workshops took place.

This spectacular event saw a number of of Australia’s top milliners and industry experts assemble together with local millinery students, designers and keen hat makers to impart invaluable knowledge and advice.

Several demonstrations took place giving students various tips and techniques valuable for acquiring unique and outstanding head pieces, bound to catch the eye.

All who attended proved the workshop to be an exceptional opportunity to enhance their knowledge, meet other like minded enthusiasts, and gain the necessary skills to create their own unique pieces under the watchful eye of the industry skilled professionals.

The highly successful workshop, was  strongly supported by celebrity milliner Neil Grigg as well as Doug Osborne who is Australia’s leading manufacturer of hat blocks for the millinery industry. 

Having travelled from Sydney to attend the workshop, highly successful milliner Neil Grigg provided inspiration for all.

Formerly a member of the Sydney Dance Company, Neil’s interest expanded from costume making to millinery where he gained the opportunity to produce hats for theatre and Broadway productions, his exceptional talent did not go un-noticed.

Neil’s exquisite designs and expertise has seen him create hats for Crown Princess Mary of Denmark as well as supply popular department store David Jones, with a spring collection of hats and head pieces for the racing season.

Neil is constantly kept busy attending events and workshops, judging hat parades and competitions, and not to mention running his boutique millinery shop situated in Paddington, Sydney.

Working closely with Doug Osborne, Neil relies on the expertise of Doug to create the hat blocks he needs in order to make successful hats and head pieces.

Many of the classic hat shapes are steamed over wooden blocks that have been carefully carved by hand and shaped to achieve the desired block shape. 

 “Our motto is to help you create your dream” says Doug, who loves designing new and interesting block shapes. Doug is a dedicated hat block specialist that will do whatever he can to help his clients to achieve their dream look. Sourcing clients both nationally and internationally,

Doug has truly made his mark in the millinery industry guaranteeing quality and satisfaction. “You will like the hat block I create for you” says Doug, “because it’s your design”.

From what originally started out as a hobby has now made Doug number one hat block manufacture in Australia, as he continues to create new and interesting blocks that are sourced worldwide.

The workshop proved a huge success amongst the millinery students who were laden with inspiration and encouragement supported by their dedicated millinery teacher Rose Organ.

Having been a dedicated fashion teacher for many years, and now an expert millinery teacher in Wagga, Rose offers 8 week courses at various stages throughout the year teaching students of all abilities the skills necessary for successful hat making.

Rose says “there are many avenues one could travel down once they have mastered the art of hat making such as; race hats, bridal head pieces, children’s hats, hats for those suffering from cancer and various every day sun hats”.

For those who have mastered the skills necessary for making hats and head pieces the opportunities are endless for they who allow their creativity to reign.

Proving to be a great success and enjoyed by all, one would wonder if hat making is the new black?

VIEW 'MILLINERY. THE NEW BLACK" ARTICLE FROM WAGGA LIFE MAGAZINE