SIMON MEANWELL-RALPH ON HAT STYLING SUCCESS IN THE MILLINERY INDUSTRY AND TIPS FOR ASPIRING MILLINER
Simon Meanwell-Ralph, the founder of 'Marvellous Millinery' has been making bespoke occasion wear hats for discerning customers since 2011 in his rose garden studio at his home in Winchester, UK. He is happily married and has three loopy yellow Labradors. Hats have always been his passion. His hats have been worn to many elegant weddings all around the world and graced the covers of glossy magazines. He has also designed hats for the British Royal Family.
Simon Meanwell-Ralph working in his studio in Winchester
“I have always had a flair for the dramatic and a hat 'completes' an outfit perfectly like a flamboyant bow at the end of a magnificent recital onstage. It also, (pretty much) always draws attention to the wearer - a certain amount of 'look at me' because most people nowadays don't wear hats. Personally - I'm never seen without one - they're what I'm known for!”
His hobby is Amateur Dramatics - in particular Musical Theatre, and he often gets involved with helping with the costumes or set design as well as performing. When it comes to going to university, his degree was in jewellery design from where he gained many transferrable skills from his time designing wearable objects in precious metals, to now designing and creating 'jewels for the head' which often feature crystals and wires.
MIXED BERRY COLOURS COCKTAIL HAT
MARVELLOUS MILLINERY
ROSE GOLD FLOATING BOW HALO HEADBAND
MARVELLOUS MILLINERY
How did you start your millinery journey? What are your sources of inspiration?
"I have been making and trimming hats for my mother and sister for as long as I can remember - when I was in my early teens perhaps? Then, as the years went by, I was asked by other family members and friends to make hats for weddings until I was lucky enough to be able to take my passion and make it my everyday job - I love what I do for a living!"
Image: A childhood memory of Simon and his sister (aged 5 and 3)
"My inspiration lies squarely in two places - the beauty of flowers (particularly roses) which I grow in my own garden and also see when I visit National Trust gardens - particularly Mottisfont Abbey near where I live which as luck would have it, houses the national collection of old-fashioned roses - delightful! And the second inspiration comes from working with materials and objects that I amass in certain colour combinations - I then start 'sketching' ideas with my hands at my bench and see what blossoms from there. Every day is a new challenge - which I revel in."
Image by: kateizakphotography.com - The roses in the garden near his studio are his constant inspiration
FUCHSIA PINK AND SILVER COCKTAIL HAT
MARVELLOUS MILLINERY
MARVELLOUS MILLINERY
Simon Meanwell-Ralph is very well-known for making practical hats because they stay put throughout the day without being knocked when greeting guests (the ultimate 'kissing brim'), they have presence in photographs without getting in the way and also they can travel safely to destination weddings - particularly when protected in a biscuit tin tucked into the middle of the suitcase! He offers a wide range of different styles and scales of hat in his studio, so that he can offer something to please most customers who visit him in his Winchester home studio.
“I make each one to order and customise it to the bespoke requirements of each individual customer; larger picture hats in various designs and crown/brim combinations, stylish saucer hats that are very popular because they are easy to wear, smaller pillbox hats for smart occasions and some headband fascinators as well.”
Do you have a signature style? Tell us more about your most populat hat style.
“I suppose I am best known for the wide range of cocktail hats that I design and make, because of their versatility, comfort and style. It has been a great pleasure to have created many of these unique pieces specifically to sell through The Hat Circle. Like I said before, these little hats are a 'jewel for the head' and they suit most ladies who try them on."
A signature cocktail hat (bespoke) from Simon Meanwell’s collection.
SHELL PINK AND IVORY COCKTAIL HAT
MARVELLOUS MILLINERY
MARVELLOUS MILLINERY
MARVELLOUS MILLINERY
We would love to hear about studio time and how you connect with your clients.
“My main customer is the Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom. I really enjoy helping ladies who are approaching a memorable day in their lives by going through the outline of the wedding plans with them. I have found that lots of discussion is helpful when guiding a customer into choosing the right hat for the occasion, after all, ordering a bespoke hat isn't something that she would do every day of the week! I've found that having an informal conversation to try to understand each customer's specific requirements can be very helpful for both of us, so that I can see what elegant solution I can design specifically for each lady.”
Deciding the right colour with a client
We are thrilled to say that each of the Marvellous Millinery collection features a unique 'one-of-a-kind' sprinkling of 'magic’ that you simply won't find when shopping for a hat in the high street.
"My years of experience in this area has been invaluable when it came to designing my capsule collection of hats for The Hat Circle."
Colour inspiration for a THC cocktail hat in a striking colour trend for A/W 2020/21
MARVELLOUS MILLINERY
PURPLE AND MAGENTA COCKTAIL HAT
MARVELLOUS MILLINERY
Marvellous Millinery hats have been featured in the press and television, ordered for members of the royal family and worn to many formal state occasions.
What's your proudest moment in your millinery career? What makes you a happy milliner?
I think the proudest thrill I get is when a Mother of the Bride or Groom catches herself in the mirror just after I have placed her new hat on her head and she realises, perhaps for the first time "...this is really happening, and I look and feel marvellous!" Ladies hold their head up and really revel in the moment - that is very special.
Or perhaps the pinnacle, is to serve a customer who has been personally recommended to come and see me by a previous happy customer, and purchase one of my hats for herself - I'd say that is the greatest compliment I can receive and the one I am most proud of.
Two customers enjoying their 'Marvellous Millinery Moments'
MARVELLOUS MILLINERY
TEAL AND OCEAN GREEN COCKTAIL HAT
MARVELLOUS MILLINERY