Emily Hurst Photo Credit The King's Foundation

Emily Hurst: CHANEL & The King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Millinery alumna creates new visor for Highgrove

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    Highgrove and The King’s Foundation are excited to announce the launch of the new Highgrove Visor, a modern visor crafted from T’nalak and hand-woven using straw plaiting—a dying art form. This exceptional piece was created by Emily Hurst, a graduate of the CHANEL and King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Fellowship and the first recipient of the newly established £10,000 annual bursary provided by Ascot Racecourse.

    Emily Hurst Millinery

    Emily Hurst is a milliner, designer, maker, and craftsperson who is passionate about the traditional craft of straw work. She is committed to preserving and modernising these techniques that were once essential to the global hat industry, including traditional plaiting, weaving, and Swiss decorative methods—adapting them for today's fashion landscape. 

    Her creative journey began with a focus on visual storytelling through costume, leading her to earn a first-class degree in Costume Design and Construction from The Nottingham School of Art & Design. It was during this period that she started to investigate historical techniques, particularly straw plaiting, and realised that the craft was at risk of dying out. After developing a fascination for the versatile and sustainable qualities of straw, she dedicated a year to immersing herself in the craft. She began experimenting with innovative applications, ranging from decorations to puppetry.

    The CHANEL and The King’s Foundation Metier D’arts Millinery Fellowship in partnership with Le19m

    The CHANEL & The King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Millinery Fellowship is an innovative programme dedicated to preserving the art of hat-making in the UK. Launched in 2024 with a cohort of six talented students, the intensive 35-week residential programme aims to train the next generation of specialist milliners in the UK. This initiative has the support of the Parisian hatmaker Maison Michel at le19M in Paris, and it forms part of The King’s Foundation’s broader efforts to protect traditional heritage skills at risk of being lost, a cause that His Majesty The King is passionate about. 

    This year, Emily received the Emerging Talent Award at The King’s Foundation Awards. This award is given to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional talent and commitment while participating in a King’s Foundation programme. Emily was presented with the award by David Beckham, an ambassador for The King’s Foundation. In partnership with the CHANEL & The King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Millinery Fellowship, Emily was then announced as the first recipient of the newly established £10,000 annual bursary provided by Ascot Racecourse.

    The Story Behind the Highgrove Visor: Where Heritage Meets Contemporary Elegance

    In today’s world of fast-paced fashion, true craftsmanship is a rarity. At Highgrove, we believe in celebrating timeless design, natural beauty, and the artisans whose skills tell stories that deserve to be preserved. One such story is woven into The Highgrove Visor—a piece that captures both the light-dappled serenity of the gardens here in Gloucestershire and the artistry of heritage handcraft.

    The Highgrove Visor begins its journey in the tranquil surroundings of Highgrove Gardens, where the canopy of the stumpery dances with flashes of sunlight and shadow. This visual contrast inspired milliner Emily, whose reinterpretation of the traditional bonnet silhouette marries English countryside heritage with a modern sensibility.

    The visor’s structure is built upon T’nalak fabric—a handwoven banana fibre textile created by the T’boli people of the Philippines. With every thread comes centuries of tradition, each one echoing the importance of cultural preservation and sustainable fashion.

    Studying at Highgrove Gardens

    The highly skilled 35-week residential Millinery Fellowship is based at the CHANEL Métiers d’art Training Atelier at Highgrove, as well as The King’s Foundation site at Trinity Buoy Wharf, London

    “Living and studying at Highgrove has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The gardens of Highgrove estate have served as a constant source of inspiration, and the ethos of The King’s Foundation has really put a highlight on sustainability within all of our practices, and that is something that is very important to me personally.” - Emily Hurst.

    The programme provides official training in hatmaking utilising various materials such as felt, sinamay, and straw. A distinctive aspect of the programme is the incorporation of 17 Guinea Straw Machines, which are vital to the heritage straw hat sector and have origins dating back to the late 1800s. The fellowship offers the opportunity to engage in the ateliers at Maison Michel, where participants work alongside skilled hatmakers and milliners to acquire the traditional techniques that have been handed down through the years. This fellowship encourages a renewed focus on precision and creativity, motivating participants to advocate for straw as an eco-friendly material in the fashion sector.

    Craftsmanship That Tells a Story

    Each visor is a testament to artistry and patience. The brim alone requires seven individually cut pieces, carefully layered and stitched together to achieve its sculptural form. Around 130 splints of straw are split, woven, softened with steam, and hand-shaped to form the visor panel—a process that embodies both discipline and devotion.

    The finishing touches, from the cotton sateen lining to the grosgrain bow fastening, are hand-applied with precision. This meticulous journey ensures that every visor is not just an accessory but a work of art.

    The Highgrove Visor is designed with longevity and respect for the environment in mind. Each piece is made using natural fibres, crafted to last when cared for with consideration. Unlike mass-produced fashion, no two visors are ever the same—subtle variations in the handwoven panels make each one uniquely yours.

    From summer weddings in the Cotswolds to leisurely afternoons spent in gardens or at the seaside, the Highgrove Visor offers a versatile finishing touch. Its chic, sculptural form brings elegance to everyday wear, while its roots in tradition connect us back to a deeper appreciation of culture and craftsmanship.

    For those who admire the artistry behind millinery or who cherish the gardens at Highgrove, the visor is more than an accessory—it is a piece of living heritage, crafted with mindfulness and care.

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    The sale of highgrove products, garden tours and events support the charitable work of the kings foundation.