Mille Fleurs Milliners - Our story and our ethos

Gill’s journey into millinery began in 2003 as a Mille Fleurs customer. She commissioned a bespoke hat for her brother’s wedding from Jane – just as her mum had done for Gill’s own wedding several years earlier. At that time, Gill was working in an office but had started to follow her dream of a more creative role by studying millinery at the London School of Fashion in the evenings. 

After a frank talk from a colleague about pursuing what she was passionate about, Gill seized the opportunity of being in Jane’s company to explain that she was an aspiring milliner. Graciously, instead of accepting money for the Dior-shaped hat with curled feathers, Jane asked Gill to work in the shop for a few days. A few days has become a lifelong career, during which Gill has taken on an apprentice of her own, Alice Harvey. 

The discipline and inspiration Jane drew from working in a prestigious couture workroom that designed hats for icons such as Princess Diana, Joan Collins and Elizabeth Taylor laid the perfect foundations for her to open Mille Fleurs in 1997. The influence of Graham Smith continues to this day, with the craftsmanship and passion for perfection she learned from the master milliner passed on over those 16 years to Gill.

Our Ethos

Our ethos is simple: to create beautiful and individual hats and headpieces to suit our clients. Each bespoke hat is made on-site, by hand, using traditional millinery techniques to create a flawless finish.

Our attention to detail, whether it’s a large picture hat or a tiny fascinator, means that each headpiece is hand-blocked and stitched, and made uniquely for each client, taking into account personality, outfit choice and venue. We also take time to consider the balance required for a hat to flatter and finish an outfit beautifully.  

Mille Fleurs releases a new Spring/Summer collection of hats and headpieces each year to coincide with horseracing events such as Royal Ascot and the Derby, weddings, garden parties and investitures. These handmade hats provide inspiration for our client commissions but are available to purchase as ready-to-wear pieces – perfect if time is of the essence.

Alongside the bespoke millinery service, at Mille Fleurs we also offer a selection of super-special, ready-to-wear hats. These hats are completely unique, often incorporating vintage and rare materials that cannot be repeated, making each piece an heirloom.

We also stock a wonderful range of casual and seasonal hats and accessories, which can be purchased either in our Tunbridge Wells or Otford shops.

We believe that beauty and integrity go hand in hand, forming the foundation of everything we create. Our commitment to sustainability drives us to embrace waste-reducing production protocols such as creating each piece to order and thus limiting the stock that we carry. We offer a re-trimming service to all our clients to ensure that each hat we make does not become a “one wear” accessory. 

From the beginning, we have prioritised thoughtful design and careful material selection to minimise our environmental impact. All our packaging is sourced from trusted partners who share our dedication to enhanced sustainability practices, ensuring that every detail aligns with our values.