Put a feather in your hat story
Feathers In The Hat is a whimsical yet serious hat atelier. We sculpt wool, straw and sinamay into modern heirlooms, finished with ethically sourced feathers, vintage veiling and hand-rolled silk. One head, one block, one plume at a time.
Bestseller • Goose + pheasant
100% handmade
blocked • steamed • trimmed
A little shop of feathers & felt
Feathersinthehat.com began as a market stall with three hat blocks, a kettle, and a cigar box of pheasant feathers. Founder June Marlowe — costume maker, vintage collector, bird watcher — believed a hat should do what a good sentence does: lift, surprise, and stay with you.
Today our atelier houses 300+ wooden blocks, a feather library of 140 varieties, and a wall of veiling in every dusk color. We still block everything by hand, steam over antique kettles, and curl each feather with heated brass tools. No glue guns. No mass molds. No shortcuts.
We work with regenerative farms, molt-collected plumes, and recycled straw. Every offcut becomes a fascinator, every broken brim becomes a headband. Waste? We wear it.
Hats that remember you
Three families, infinite personalities. All shapes are blocked on vintage maple blocks, then trimmed to your head, hair and height. Choose ready-to-wear or go full bespoke.
The Wanderer Fedora
Crushable merino felt, grosgrain, single pheasant feather. Water-resistant, travel-obsessed, compliments guaranteed.
Cloud & Plume Fascinator
Sinamay button, veiling, hand-curled goose, ostrich puffs. For weddings, derbies and joyful entrances.
Sunpoet Boater
Hand-woven toquilla, silk band, dyed hackle. Floats, folds, and makes iced tea taste better.
Seven hours. One hat.
Blocking is slow sculpture. We soak, steam, stretch and pin. Then we wait. Then we trim, wire, line and plume. Watch the process in the studio window every Thursday.
Bring grandma's velour, moth-nibbled or crushed. We reblock, relines, replume. From $45.
Felt or straw is steamed and pulled over 80-year-old maple blocks, pinned and dried 24h for memory.
Brim edge wired by hand, bound with grosgrain or leather. This is what makes it float, not flop.
Cotton twill sweatband, silk lining stamped with your initials. Measured to 1/8 inch.
Feathers steamed, curled, layered. No two placements alike — we dress the hat on you.
Meet the mad hatters
We are six makers, one shop dog (Brim), and a wall of thank-you cards. Come for a fitting, stay for tea and feather gossip.
- June Marlowe — Founder & master blocker. 20 yrs, 300 blocks.
- Theo Ash — Feather specialist. Former ornithologist.
- Priya Nair — Bridal & veiling. Drapes like water.
- Marta Vidal — Straw & restoration. Can save anything.
“I walked in for a wedding hat and walked out feeling like the best version of a stranger I’d always wanted to meet.” — Maya R., bride, Plume No.9
Fresh from the block
Care guides, feather stories, collection drops and atelier diaries. Click any story to read the full article — each lives on its own page.
Good to know
How do I find my hat size?
Wrap a tape around your head 1cm above ears. 56cm = M, 58cm = L. Between sizes? We pad or stretch in studio free for a year. Every bespoke includes re-sizing.
Are your feathers ethical?
Yes. Molt or farm by-product only, audited suppliers, no wild trapping. Each hat lists feather origin on its passport card.
Can I customise colour and plume?
Absolutely — choose felt (38 colours), straw (12 weaves), veiling (20 tones) and feathers at our Fascinator Bar. Bespoke takes 2–4 weeks.
Do you ship?
Worldwide in crush-proof hat boxes. Free restoration in first year, lifetime reblocking at cost.
Book a fitting
45 minutes, tea, tape measure, and 60 hats to try. 12 Feather Lane, Old Mill District. Tue–Sat 10–18. Walk-ins welcome, bookings loved.
[email protected]
+1 (555) 014-8890