Over 30 years, Rachel Trevor-Morgan has built a thriving and successful business. Rachel operates from her 17th century atelier in London St James’s where she delivers private client commissions.
Her mission is to provide her clients with the perfect hat or headpiece. She is renowned for her beautiful handwork and design resulting in the glamorous, feminine elegance on which she has built her reputation. Her success arises from a passion for her craft, and an understanding of the balance required for a hat to flatter and finish an outfit.
Rachel and her team have created a millinery business not only celebrating that craftsmanship but offering unrivalled customer service which has attracted a wide and discerning client list. Rachel collaborates closely with many of London’s leading couturiers designing millinery to complement their collections.
In 2014 Rachel was granted The Royal Warrant of Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen. Since 2006, HM The Queen has worn Rachel’s hats on many high profile occasions: Royal Ascot, Her 80th birthday celebrations at St Paul’s, Her Diamond Wedding celebration at Westminster Abbey, meeting George Bush in Washington, to name but a few. Rachel also designs hats for other members of the Royal family.
Rachel is a liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Feltmakers. Each year she organises a millinery design competition on behalf of the Livery for students new designers to encourage and support the millinery trade.
Rachel is also a co-curator of ‘Unveiled, The Craft of Millinery’, a millinery exhibition forming part of London Craft Week. The exhibition brings together top British Milliners celebrating the craft of hat making. Rachel is a Brother of the Art Worker’s Guild and a founder member of The British Hat Guild.
Over the years Rachel has provided many of London’s top fashion retailers with beautiful and contemporary designs: these include Harrods and Fenwick, where she is a consistent customer favourite. She also supplies boutiques across the UK as well as exporting to the US and Japan.Her designs have enjoyed continuous press coverage, with her hats featured on the covers and in the editorial pages of Vogue, Elle, Brides, the Daily Mail and The Sunday Times.
In 1997 Rachel launched her first bridal headdress collection and in 1999 she won the Headdress Designer Award at The Brides British Bridal Awards. Her fresh approach to bridal headwear offers an alternative to the modern bride. Rachel is known for her soft, feminine signature feathers and flowers. These pieces are for the couture bride.
Rachel’s childhood ambition was to become an actress and this developed into a keen interest in theatre costume. It is from this sense of the dramatic, coupled with her mother’s love of hats, that Rachel’s passion for millinery has evolved. Rachel gained apprenticeships with Philip Somerville and Graham Smith. The latter was her biggest influence: he offered a rigorous training in the disciplined craft of millinery whilst maintaining the individuality of design and flawless finish which are central to its art. This background has given Rachel a strong base in couture millinery where each hat is hand blocked and stitched and every flower hand dyed and rolled.
Her first studio was a shared attic in a monastery in Westminster and she sold her creations on a market stall in St Martins-in-the-Field.
Rachel believes that glamour and elegance are timeless but draws particular inspiration from an era when millinery was de rigueur.
Rachel regularly retreats to the peace and quiet of her welsh cottage to design the collections. She lives in London with her husband and three children.
