Hat Designer or Milliner Career

Being a hat-designer or milliner, you'd generate innovative opinions for hats, fabricating designs that are to be invented within an industrial unit or else creating hats by your individual designs. You can work in any of the given fields of the fashion trade:

• High-fashion (recognized like 'haute couture'): one-off designs generally prepared for individual customers, at times with a special event in mind.
• Designer: hats that contain a restricted production run and are prepared with a designer brand.
• High-street fashion: mass-created hats which are sold in departmental stores and fashion shops.

Your responsibilities will differ as per the area you're concerned in, however might include:

• Functioning to consumer or company requirements (the 'brief').
• Analyzing or calculating styles into fabrics, shapes, or colors.
• Drawing designs via hand, by means of computer designing packages or building up sample designs.
• Cost estimating for manufacture and materials.
• Searching suppliers of fabrics and trimmings.
• Administering the making-up of the hats.

If you're functioning in couture or special ranges, your job might include visiting clients to acquire measurements and assemble fittings. Being a freelance milliner, you'd need to promote your work, advertising hats by shops or other retail outlets. You'll also perform the duties involved in managing a business.

If you're designing for mass production, you'd work closely among sales and buying groups and communicate with producers (frequently abroad).

Qualification, Education and Experience:

You'll require skills in both designing and practical millinery.

Various milliners (especially those operating for major fashionable houses or upper-end traders) hold BTEC HND, a degree, or foundation degree within a related subject such as design, millinery, or fashion. A course that educates both design and technical ability will provide you the practical understanding required to work in the trade, hence you must verify the contents of courses prior to making your choice.

Colleges offering courses particularly related to millinery include:

• Leeds College of Art and Design
• London College of Fashion
• Kensington and Chelsea College

Entrance requirements differ, thus you must ensure with the individual colleges and universities. You'll require arranging a portfolio of your design work which you may obtain during course and job interviews.

You may also build up millinery expertise via doing courses and workshops that are carried out by a number of academies. Several colleges recommend courses leading to the following City and Guilds credentials:

• Level 2: Award in Creative Techniques within Fashion - Millinery
• Level 3: Award in Creative Techniques in Fashion - Advanced Millinery
• Level 3: Award in Fashion - Advanced Millinery

Various established milliners and other private contributors also suggest small courses that you may discover through an Internet search (inspecting carefully that the course would meet your requirements).

Training Details:

You'll frequently start as a design assistant before working your way up to designer - practical experience in the career and a good profile are essential to moving ahead within your profession.

Throughout your career, you'll have to stay updated with developments in the industry. You can do this by reading job publications and attending fashion shows.

Joining professional establishments will provide you access to professional support and networking. For example, the Chartered Society of Designers has a membership method for expert designers and runs courses and workshops.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Creativity
• A good eye for color and shape
• Knowledge of the properties of materials and how they could be utilized
• Practical hat-making ability
• An understanding of production processes
• The capability to spot and develop trends
• A readiness to accept feedback
• Business awareness
• Trade and marketing skills (if freelance)

Salary and Other Benefits:

• Income may start at approximately £16,000 per year.
• Experienced designers might receive £22,000 or more.
• Earnings for well-established designers may exceed £30,500.
• Freelance milliners set their own rates which may range from £140 to £350 per hat.

Working Conditions:

If you're employed by a company, you'll almost certainly work between 37 - 40 hours a week. You might be required to work additional hours to meet deadlines. If you're freelance, your working hours would be more irregular, depending on the number of clients you have.

You'll generally work within a workshop or studio, but may have opportunities to travel to meet manufacturers (frequently abroad), trade shows, or areas related to a design subject.

Different Opportunities:

You may be employed by a fashion retailer, fashion house, or hat producer. Since there are relatively few people engaged in this sector, there is tough competition to get jobs, particularly within key fashion houses.

With experience and excellent business skills, you'd establish your own business or sell your designs to companies on a freelance basis. The Crafts Council or the crafts officer of your district regional arts board could be able to advise on studio accessibility and potential sources of financial support.