Meet the Milliner
Hi, I'm Sarah, the milliner behind Miss Ava's Millinery. Welcome to my world and work!
I launched Miss Ava's Millinery in 2014 after learning millinery skills at the London College of Fashion. However, it's fair to say that my love affair with hats began as a child in Australia, when my grandmother mentioned that a branch of my ancestors were milliners. Plus hats are a necessary part of life in Oz!
As I grew older I developed a fascination with vintage fashion, in particular that of the 1920s and 1950s - the glamour, the fabulous looks, the style, the classic beauty and the effort people put into looking their best - and slowly my vintage collection grew and naturally included a range of beautiful hats.
However, well preserved original vintage hats are not always the easiest to find, especially for someone like myself with a *ahem* larger-than-average head size. So when I had to leave my career as a field archaeologist due to knee issues I decided to combine my love of vintage fashion, my costume skills from years of being a cabaret performer and retrain as a milliner. Hence Miss Ava's Millinery was born.
Following a move from London to Kent, I set up my millinery studio in Sun Pier House in Chatham in 2020. At my desk overlooking the River Medway I use traditional millinery techniques to handcraft all of my hats, fascinators and headwear to the highest possible standard. I hand block each piece myself and then carefully sew each element by hand to ensure a high end finish with meticulous attention to detail.
I love to create bespoke hats for people, so do get in touch if you have a particular dream hat, or if you need something to match an outfit or event! I also offer a range of ready made pieces for all occasions.
