Chapeau! at Fortnum's

You may know us best for our Scotch Eggs, bountiful hampers and our, some would argue, obsessive love of tea. But anyone who knows Fortnum's well will know that there are floors upon floors of other wonderful things to discover. And as a business that's been around for over three centuries now, we have a long and storied history.

For example, did you know that millinery has played a big part in the story of Fortnum's? When our store expanded in the 1920s, millinery quickly became one of our earliest and most fashionable successes. Over the following decades through the 1950s, 60s and 70s, Fortnum’s collaborated with legendary names such as Lanvin, Otto Lucas, Philip Sommerville, and David Shilling, making the store a go-to destination for stylish, couture headwear. We even had our very own in-house milliner in the 2010s.

This season, to celebrate that heritage, we've once again partnered with Chapeau! London, the unique retail experience dedicated to showcasing Britain’s finest millinery. And this year’s residency is bigger, earlier and more spectacular than ever. Running from 2nd April to 1st July - a longer run than last year - we’ll be welcoming two new milliners, Grainne Maher and Giulia Mio, who join our line-up of sought-after names including Jenny Roberts, Lisa Tan, Martha Lynn, Sarah Cant and Stephen Jones. 

To mark the occasion, we're taking over the wall at the top of the Double Helix Staircase on the 2nd Floor with beautiful drawings of key exclusive designs, and from 18th May, we’ll be transforming our Piccadilly corner window for three weeks into a striking millinery showcase. Our teams have also drawn inspiration from our own archives - paying homage to Fortnum’s rich history in headwear throughout the display.

We will also be hosting a dedicated Millinery Day on 21st May, along with a Q&A in the evening, offering expert styling advice, creative insight, and a rare glimpse into the craftsmanship behind each piece. Whether you’re the mother of the bride or preparing for Royal Ascot, this year’s pop-up offers an exquisite range of hats for every occasion - and a celebration of the millinery legacy woven through Fortnum’s past, present and future.

Jenny Roberts Millinery

With over 20 years of experience in fashion styling and millinery, Jenny blends artistry with the latest trends to create headwear that enhances and flatters her clients. Based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, she offers bespoke design services, and a curated hat hire collection.

Jenny’s designs have been featured on the front pages of The Times, The Telegraph, and Vogue’s Top Ascot Hats, as well as in Marie Claire and more. Recognized by Tatler as “The Best Milliner in Yorkshire,” her work is sought after by distinguished clients, TV presenters, and royalty attending prestigious events like Royal Ascot. 

Beyond designing, Jenny is passionate about sharing her expertise. She has taught at London Hat Week, The British Millinery Association, and The American Institute of Millinery. As a dedicated member of the millinery community, she serves on the Events Committee for The British Hat Guild and is honoured to be an Ambassador for the British Millinery Association.  

Martha Lynn

Martha Lynn is a distinguished Irish milliner, celebrated for her innovative and boundary- pushing approach to hat design. Seamlessly blending traditional craftsmanship with modern aesthetics, she is known for incorporating unconventional and experimental materials, redefining the art of millinery.

Martha honed her skills through prestigious internships with legendary milliners Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones in London. There, she contributed to designs for world-renowned fashion houses such as Valentino and Galliano, as well as custom pieces for Lady Gaga. Armed with this wealth of experience, she launched her own millinery studio in Dublin, swiftly earning international recognition for her bold, distinctive aesthetic. 

Now based in London, Martha continues to create bespoke and ready-to-wear hats for special occasions, race days, and high-profile events. Her designs, known for their modern edge and impeccable craftsmanship, attract a global clientele seeking statement headpieces. She has collaborated with leading luxury retailers, including Harvey Nichols, Brown Thomas, and Selfridges, hosting exclusive in-store pop-ups. In 2024, she co-founded Chapeau!, a millinery pop-up collaboration with The Grosvenor Estate on Mount Street, Mayfair.

Martha’s work has been featured in top-tier publications such as The New York Times, Vogue Italia, and The Financial Times. Her signature designs are regularly seen on television personalities and fashion icons at race meetings and events worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to creativity and craftsmanship, Martha Lynn continues to shape the future of millinery, redefining what it means to wear a hat with confidence and style.  

Lisa Tan

London-based Lisa Tan creates elegant, sculptural designs using traditional millinery techniques and materials. Her signature style fuses classic elements with a modern edge to produce distinctive silhouettes with a less-is-more aesthetic.

With a penchant for natural fibres and a fondness for straw, Lisa particularly enjoys working with sinamay, and especially on the bias. Her fascination with bias work began whilst studying fashion design, where she frequently experimented with bias cutting and learned how to manipulate various fabrics. Over many years of practice, Lisa has adapted and honed these skills for straw to create her signature sinamay techniques.

A long-time supporter of horseracing, racing millinery is Lisa’s specialty and her unique knowledge of racewear is sought-after in the UK, US and Australia by clients, stylists, and media alike. Her hats are frequently worn at the most prestigious meetings on the racing calendar, and she has been a regular contributor of racing fashion commentary for Channel 4, ITV, World Horse Racing, and the Nick Luck Daily podcast.

In 2017, 2022, and 2025, Lisa was chosen to be a part of the official Royal Ascot Millinery Collective, which celebrates the best of international millinery. 

Sarah Cant

Sarah Cant is a couture milliner devoted to making hats and headpieces from the finest materials, with an immaculate finish. Her dynamic shapes are the result of combining tradition with innovation. The style is classic and quirky, with an emphasis on strong, elegant shapes which flatter the face.  

Originally from California, Sarah trained in millinery at Kensington and Chelsea College. After her training, she worked for Stephen Jones before establishing her own label in 2003. Sarah’s hats are worn by stylish race goers, wedding guests, and members of the royal family. She produces seasonal collections of occasion hats and headpieces and takes bespoke orders. Her works feature regularly in the Royal Ascot Style Guide and Royal Ascot Millinery Collective.  

In 2010, Sarah published Hats! Making Classic Hats and Headpieces in Fabric, Felt and Straw. The book has been published in the UK, USA, France, and Spain, and is widely used as a teaching tool for millinery courses. Sarah has 18 years’ experience of teaching millinery, from beginner to advanced levels. She is currently the lead tutor on the newly established The Chanel & The Kings Foundation Métiers d’Art Millinery Fellowship, and for many years was the course director on the world-renowned HNC in Millinery at Kensington & Chelsea College (now part of Morley College). She also offers private tuition in her Warwickshire studio.  

Gráinne Maher 

Gráinne Maher is a couture milliner and accessories designer based in Belfast, most recently adding art fabric and wallpaper designs to her portfolio. She is the curator of the Irish Millinery Collective, and in recent weeks has started a ‘Hat chats’ series on her IGTV.

Awards include Ulster Tatler Fashion Designer of the Year, and her work has been worn by personalities such as Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, Selena Gomez, and Alexandra Burke. She has shown her collections at London Fashion Week over several seasons at FASHIONSCOUT, and her millinery work has appeared in the press worldwide, including ELLE UK and Vogue.it, Harper’s Bazaar China, Irish Times magazine, and EDITORIAL NY.

She is passionate about combining artisan millinery couture skills with modern materials and techniques, including laser cutting, 3D printing, and digital print design. 

Stephen Jones, OBE

Born in Cheshire, and schooled in Liverpool, Stephen Jones burst on to the London fashion scene during its explosion of street style in the late seventies. By day, he was a student at St Martins; after dark he was one of that era's uncompromising style-blazers at the legendary Blitz nightclub - always crowned with a striking hat of his own idiosyncratic design.  

By 1980, Jones had opened his first millinery salon in the heart of London's Covent Garden. Those premises soon became a place of pilgrimage and patronage, as everyone from rock stars to royalty, from Boy George to Diana, Princess of Wales, identified Jones as the milliner who would help them make arresting headlines. Forty years later, Jones's era-defining edge continues to attract a celebrity clientele which includes, Rihanna, Mick Jagger, and the Princesses.

Now, as ever, at the forefront of fashion, his beguiling hats routinely grace the most celebrated magazine covers and enliven window displays of the world's most stylish stores. From runways to racecourses, from pop-promos to royal garden parties, millinery by Stephen Jones adds the exclamation mark to every fashion statement. 

Giulia Mio

Giulia Mio is an Italian, award-winning couture milliner devoted to making hats and headpieces from the finest materials, with an immaculate finish. Her hats and headpieces are sculptural, delicate, feminine, and elegant.

Her style is the result of a blend between Fashion and observation of Nature, with a significant influence coming also from Fine Arts, with her love for the unexpected and uncanny. She studied Set and Costume design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and Milan.

She has been trained as a traditional milliner, but she has always been interested in new techniques and innovative materials, and the combination of these elements allows Giulia to free her inspiration from conventions, ranging from classic and timeless hats to crazy and full of details artistic pieces.

Giulia has become quite known for her exquisite silk and leather flowers, completely hand-painted and hand-made, which adorn many of her creations.

Inspiration

Discover The Journal, home to a host of our most delicious stories. 

The Story of Otto Lucas

The History of Fashion at Fortnum's