大象传媒

Former model Jennifer Cattlin always struggled to find hats due to her large head and mop of unruly curls. Exhausted from shopping for a wedding hat two years ago, she decided to make her own, and now runs a profitable business from her home in Henley-on-Thames.

Jennifer in her hat at 大象传媒 Radio Berkshire

She said: "I've got Scary Spice hair and a big head which makes it hard to find hats. Sometimes I do slick it back.听 I've always been artistic, and a stylish person. I've got a good eye for fashion. I decided as well that I wanted to do something that was about me.

"My husband does oil paintings of airplanes and he's an acrobatic pilot, so I wanted to have a project too."

A former model, Jennifer has more than 30 years experience in the world of fashion.

Silk flowers used for hat decorations

She said: "I studied at the Fashion Institute Of Technology in New York City, and I have worked in many different roles, ranging from extensive film and print work in London, New York and Tokyo to assisting and modelling for designers."

Now Jennifer is turning a profit after starting up her home-run business two years ago, despite considerable start-up costs.

Jennifer's hats fall into the mid-range category, costing between 拢100 and 拢200 hats, unlike hand-crafted hats which can fetch anything from 拢500 and upwards.

She makes her own fascinators but uses a ready-made hat on which to model her designs.

A dramatic fascinator

Although she does sell some hats in the Henley boutique where she works part time, called Frivolity, her sales mostly come from internet shoppers or word-of-mouth. She works from home.

Jennifer trained as a hat-maker under Rose Cory, who has taught most of the couture hat makers in the country and was the late Queen Mother's preferred milliner.

A hat in this year's colours, orange and lime.

She says that bold colours are selling out this Ascot, and that pink, blue, lime green and purple hats have proved especially popular with her customers of late.

She said: "A lot of people shy away from big hats but I try and take them away from being a wallflower.

"This year I've been making a lot of large fascinators in florescent orange and lime with silver and gold."