“It's a bit of matchmaking”

When Steven needed a new hat, apparently a contractual requirement of the dress code at Local Authority Towers, there was only one place to go: Miss Ava's Millinery. Naturally, he couldn't just buy a hat without interviewing its maker, Sarah Blacker-Barrowman, for our faithful readers. They discussed juggling careers in archaeology and millinery, whether she knows Lauren Edwards MP simply because they're both Australian, why she's a clichéd archaeologist, and, of course, hats...

What is your official occupation?
I'm an archaeologist and milliner under the guise of Miss Ava's Millinery.  

Which of those two takes up the bulk of your time?
These days, it's mainly being a parent.
But I'd say at the moment archaeology is the four-day-a-week, 8.30-to-5 commitment. That's been most of my career. Archaeology was my original degree, and then hat-making fits in around that everywhere I can. It's slightly more challenging with a small person in tow.

Hat-making, is there money in that?  
Yeah, not as much as some people probably think, hence two jobs.
There have been times when I've had it as a solo job. When I first left field archaeology, I was jumping into it alongside performing back in the day.
It's enough to tick over. I'd love for it to be my full-time job.
It's a juggling act because the way I make them, they're not your cheap and cheerful little pieces. They're investment pieces for special occasions, particularly in this day and age when people don't necessarily have the budget to spend on big pieces.

I can talk about hat making for days to anyone who's foolish enough to walk into the room and listen

You also take part in Medway Open Studios? 
Yeah, ever since I got a studio in Sun Pier in 2020, of all the years! It was not necessarily the best investment for a hat maker who does weddings.
The opportunity came up, so I seized the chance to move out of the tiny little box room we have at home, which is our son's room.
It's just such a great opportunity to talk about what I do and meet people. I can talk about hat-making for days to anyone who's foolish enough to walk into the room and listen, and it's absolutely lovely.

You mentioned weddings. Making someone a hat for a stressful event must be a challenge?  
It can be. I think it's a bit of a joy. It's typically very proud mums who come in. Some are hat people, and they'll tell me so, while others say, “I'm not a hat person. They don't suit me,” but they feel they have to wear one because they're the mother of the bride, the groom or whoever is getting married.
Part of my job is to reassure them that they can feel like themselves. My job is almost helping them feel comfortable in what they're wearing. I'm not going to let them leave unless they're happy and comfortable in what they're wearing. Otherwise, I haven't done my job properly.
And if somebody doesn't feel like the right fit for me, I'll happily say speak to other people.

What does it say about us as a society in decline that hat-wearing isn’t as common as it once was?
I know, it's a bit sad.
There's a bit of a resurgence going on now. I was reading an article in a major newspaper over the weekend about the return of silly little hats, and I'm all for it.
One of the things I love doing apart from the wedding stuff is the classic everyday hat. One of the first things I ever made was a fedora.
I'm a clichéd archaeologist.
A hat you can just pop on is such an easy accessory. It says, 'I've made an effort. I've put a hat on my head', even if you're just in jeans and a T-shirt. I think there should be more of it. Bring it back.

What is the most extravagant hat you've made?
For a wedding-styled shoot, I was asked if I wanted to be involved in a Mad Hatter-themed tea party in woodlands just outside Maidstone.
I sent a mood board which involved a big blue choux-layer dress, this dreamy tea party set-up. It was going to be quirky, and I was given free rein to make whatever I wanted. I got to work sketching. Dreamy Alice in Wonderland. It's a book I love. It was a great inspiration.
I made a teacup, just bigger than life-size, like a generous, good bucket of tea in the morning kind of cup, with playing cards swirling around it and painted roses.
It sits at what looks like a bit of a precarious angle on the head. That was made for the photo shoot, and it's one of my favourite pieces. It's a talking point when people come into the studio, either for chats and consultations or open studios.
Over the summer, I made a version of that for someone in Australia, slightly scaled down and in a different colour, and it was absolutely joyful. She loved it.
Sending it all the way to Australia was slightly terrifying, though.

What is it that makes someone feel they're not a hat person?
I think they've just never found the right one.
I compare it a lot to having glasses, as a glasses wearer. When you find the shape and style that feels like you, whether it's your personality, your personal style and taste, something that actually fits properly, you feel a lot more comfortable and confident.
I think it's a bit of matchmaking. There is something for everybody, even if it's just popping on a baseball cap and feeling like yourself, which is awesome.
It's finding the one that feels like you, and everyone will have something different. I've got some clients who are 'more is more, bigger is better', and that is amazing, and other people who just want a little something to finish their outfit. There is no right or wrong.
I love seeing what people are drawn to when they first come in. If something catches your eye, you don't have to explain why. Just try it on, and try it again and again. Nine times out of ten, it's the first thing that caught their eye, a shape or a colour, that they end up going back to.
There is something for everyone. The art is finding what it is. I don't think I've had anyone go, “Nah, I give up.” There is always an option, however grand or subtle it may be.