Big Interview: Milliner Grainne Maher on making hats for royalty and a new, upcoming collaboration with supermodel Sophie Anderton

Special guests will include acclaimed milliner Rebecca Share from Australia, who has made hats for singer Jennifer Lopez, among others, and one of Grainne’s best friends, supermodel Sophie Anderton, who will be discussing her love of fashion and why she is choosing to step out into her own in the design world.

Grainne, who creates sophisticated pieces for mother of the bride/groom, wedding guests and race-goers using classic shapes, hand-dyed feathers and couture embellishments, explains how the collective came about.

“About five years ago, I curated a group of milliners from the north and south of Ireland called the Irish Millinery Collective. It's not formalised in a Guild sense, it’s just a collective to give professional hat makers and milliners a means to come together as one voice.”

As for Sophie Anderton, the famous Gossard bra model and reality TV star, Grainne says the pair met at the Dublin Horse Show a few years ago, quickly became “thick as thieves” and are now working on a new brand together, details of which are currently under wraps.

“I was wearing a hat from my Glassy Flowers collection – they are flowers made from resin to look like glass – Sophie had spotted it and she came over and we introduced ourselves...I knew who she was, of course.

“She said ‘your hat is beautiful’ and when I told her I had made it myself, she was really impressed –which is something from someone who's had a 30 year career in fashion.”

“We exchanged numbers, and Sophie hounded me,” laughs Grainne.

The 90s It girl, who is married to Polish aristocrat Count Kaz Balinski-Jundzill, invited Grainne to her home in Glendalough, Co Wicklow.

“I thought maybe we'd just do a photo shoot together, but Sophie had bigger, bolder ideas for the two of us from very early on,” says Grainne. “I was intrigued and delighted to just talk through possibilities. It really has changed the trajectory of my career in some ways. It’s very exciting and I feel really blessed.”

Grainne remains tight-lipped about the pair’s brand collaboration, but says all will be revealed next year.

What she can talk about is making a beautiful hat for Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, whom she met through Dr. Gabriela Mercik, who has a skincare and aesthetics clinic in London’s Harley Street.

“Sarah told me she wanted a hat with a snood. A snood in the traditional millinery sense is like an Elizabethan hairnet style. I made her a beautiful piece, which was a modern take on that, a lovely green leather oversized halo with a beautiful crocheted hairnet snood at the back.”

The Duchess was so impressed with her hat she sent Grainne a “beautiful handwritten thank you letter”.

Grainne, who has made hats for Dame Mary Peters, is also kept busy creating headpieces for investitures.

“Even though I haven't been in Windsor Castle, I’ve been there by proxy with people wearing my hats!”

The talented mum-of-three’s journey into millinery began some 15 years ago after being inspired by “the master that is Phillip Treacy”.

“I just remember seeing pictures of his hats in magazines. It was like engineering, these beautiful pieces were almost gravity-defying. It was new and avant-garde. Up until then millinery wasn't quite as popular, but it was enjoying a revival around then.”

Grainne, who has a degree in Music, adds: “I was into arts and creative industries and I always was searching to be involved in something that wasn't just quite the same path walked by everyone else anyway. Millinery suited me.”

Testament to her skills and her imaginative and head-turning creations, Grainne is now “in the gang” of the prestigious British Hat Guild, alongside her idol Philip Treacy and several other millinery idols.

“It's an esteemed group of people to be involved with. We all have a very distinct style and aesthetic. Mine at the moment is the glassy flowers work. It's very delicate. It's very sculptural.

"Resin has to be as light as a feather; you can't make something that's going to put any weight on the head. It's actually more complicated than people would realise.”

Grainne has shown her work at London Fashion Week and her collections have featured in pop-up shops in many high-end stores, including Brown Thomas in Dublin and Chapeau in London’s Mayfair.

“I love the idea of taking hats in a pop-up context for specific times of the year, like for Chapeau for Royal Ascot because you have a real goal there and people really need hats for that occasion."

All her hats are created in her home studio and she has a showroom (by appointment only) on Belfast’s Corporation Street.

Given the level of detail in each piece and a long waiting list, a hat can take between four to six months to make.

“I pride myself on making sure that the customer will look their best. There's lots of different reasons why some hats suit some people and don't suit others. It's more than my job's worth to send somebody out looking ridiculous. If you have a rounder face you maybe don't want to accentuate that. Or, say, if you're short like I am, you might want to add a bit of height to yourself.”

Hats, once a functional staple for church or special events, have evolved and modernised tremendously over the years.

“You don't have to be the grandmother in the wedding party to wear a hat. As Stephen Jones, chairman of the British Hat Guild, would say, ‘the hat is the exclamation mark for your outfit’. It's that accent that just brings the whole thing alive. It takes a bit of confidence to rock a good hat or a bold hat, but when you do, the pay off is massive."

Where does she see millinery fashions going in the next few years?

”I think the fact that millinery is a sustainable slow craft is huge. It's undergone a massive revival because of the fact that people are more aware of eco practices in terms of recycling and upcycling old hats, for example, or revisiting vintage trends and putting them on a new hat base.

"There’s a huge wave of interest across fashion to buy less and choose well, so maybe make an investment in a beautiful handmade trilby. It might cost £300 but that same hat, if you care for it and look after it, could last you 20 years, therefore the price per wear is worth it.”

There’s no doubt that hats create glamour and sophistication, but they are also fun – it’s dressing-up for grown-ups – and Grainne’s favourite aspect of millinery is the joy she brings to clients.

“I absolutely adore when clients send me a picture of themselves after an event they've worn my hat to and show me how happy they are, how they just feel so beautiful and that it has elevated their outfit.

"I feel really proud when I see someone wearing things so beautifully and happy that they've chosen me. It's just a nice feeling to make a difference to someone, especially on a special day like their son or daughter's wedding.”

*Tickets for the Irish Millinery Collective’s fashion afternoon tea & pop-up bazaar are still available at: grainnemaher.co.uk