Today we’d like to introduce you to Mamie Raynaud.
Mamie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Becoming a milliner late in my career was one of two goals that came full circle. The first was becoming an acupuncturist, which fulfilled a familial desire, and my chance to follow in my father’s footsteps. The second was becoming a designer. One could say “needling” is in my blood.
Fashion and design was my first love, while millinery was a curiosity I wanted to explore. I went to a local fashion design school in my mid-twenties while my first two children were still in diapers. There was a fantastic milliner in charge of the accessories department, and I spent significant time lurking around and asking her questions about hat making. I told myself back then; if I ever had time in my schedule, I would add millinery to my course list. I knew back then that maybe I might have a knack for hats. But life and family took center stage.
Fast forward 26 years. I like to believe that everything extraordinary happens on a whim. I went on a long holiday focused on learning all the things I never got around to doing–like a crafting bucket list. On a road trip through the South, I stopped a week in Lexington to learn tambour beading, then flew over to England to study embroidery with the Royal School of Needlework, and found myself with lovely Yorkshire instructors who postponed their holiday plans to provide me with private, intensive tutelage in all forms of British millinery. I surprised my instructors, my family, and myself. I didn’t just fall in love with millinery. I felt like it was already an important part of me.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Being a milliner feels very natural. It’s a culmination of all my fashion design training, my love for textiles, and handwork. Making hats is an old-world skill at its root, and like the fashion industry, constantly evolving and changing with each season. My designs are heavily influenced by racing fashions lead by both Australia and UK milliners. This is where I get some of my inspiration and continued education. The majority of my hats are for daily or special-event wear, and I feel like there is a good balance between the two. Around pre-Summer season, I plan on introducing some American-centric hats. I want to carve out what differentiates us from the rest of the world. We are such a melting pot of cultures, especially in states like Texas where cities like Houston and Austin clearly has its own influences. There is so much that inspires me without having to go very far.
This year I created what I call my “art hats” that are more for runway or photo shoots. This is where my artistry comes in, and trends leave. I find that I grow exponentially as a designer when I have complete freedom sans sales and trend worries. My elaborate bridal crown titled “Victoria in Shanghai” was my first such creation. It was recently shortlisted in my first international hat competition for Australia’s HATalk Magazine. I also created a hat influenced by my Colombian travels called “Flora de Medellín” inspired by their local Wayuu tribe and distinctive palm hats. This hat will be on exhibition at London Hat Week this coming April.
I am currently a one-woman show and make and sell hats out of my home studio and online. Owning my own label: The Mad Duchess, I have the luxury of making hats that speak my aesthetics. I love making classic vintage hats, as well as converting vintage shapes into new ones. What we think of as traditional hats have broadened to elaborate head crowns, bands, and gravity-defying fascinators. My love for textiles really shows in some of my personally curated fabric choices–often only enough to make a one-of-a-kind piece. People not familiar with couture hats might feel a little sticker shock. There is a huge difference in quality between a hat that is mass manufactured and one that a trained milliner makes. Educating clients is really key. There is considerable time spent designing, preparing and sourcing quality materials before the actual work begins. My hats are mostly sewn by hand and can take up to two weeks to finish if it requires labor-intensive work like beading or embroidery. I also make my own silk or fabric flowers using old French shaping techniques, and hand sculpts various decorations from other materials. Pricing a finished piece depends on time (complexity) and materials.
Creating hats is emotional and spiritual. It measures on the same level as practicing acupuncture for me. Both things tug at me for attention and provide great satisfaction. Where acupuncture work can often drain my body, making hats does the opposite by replenishing me. I can only explain it as another example of Yin and Yang balance–a way I hope to always live my life and art.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
At a time where I am realizing my passion for millinery, I also question its viability and how I can help preserve its history while limiting my own carbon footprint. I think many artists think about this from one time or another. There is so much we can do that’s on our plate as humans. For me, it’s fashion pollution. This has made me reevaluate my use of petroleum products in all my work, and how I can limit my waste in the already towering landfills. My small contribution is sourcing better and preserving more. I recently acquired some vintage hats that I hope to repair and refurbish into pieces that can extend its life. I don’t know any other milliner that is doing this today. I hope this experiment will be a part of my ongoing collection. I am a firm believer that we should look at secondhand stores first before turning to fast-fashion stores. I want to do my part to buy quality and fewer pieces, ones I can wear for many years and maybe years after I am gone. And beautiful hats are no exception.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
The best way to support me is to think about hats, wearing them, and finding outfits in our closets to match with a hat. Think about wearing a hat to your next event. Word of mouth is also good.
Some of my work is on my website: themadduchess.com. Folks can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook by the same name to see up-to-the-minute things I am working on and new hat announcements.
I will be at the World Garden Exhibition in April 2-9th at London Hat Week in London, UK.
I have an Etsy store named: Hats by the Mad Duchess. Potential clients are welcome to visit my home studio by appointment. Requests and information of all kind can be addressed to me via email: hats@themadduchess.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: themadduchess.com
- Phone: (408) 753-0121 Google Voice
- Email: hats@themadduchess.com
- Instagram: mad.duchess
- Facebook: The Mad Duchess
- Other: Hats By The Mad Duchess (ETSY)
Image Credit:
Mamie Ju Raynaud
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