Lady Gaga has one and Amy Huberman wore one of her designs to the Royal Wedding last summer and they have featured in the Tudors TV series. Yes, we’re talking hats with Irish milliner Sarah McGahon. Originally from Bray, Sarah followed her passion and now runs her own millinery business. It hasn’t always been easy or straight forward but she’s now making waves…

How did you get into millinery?
Sheer Determination! I wanted to go to Art School but my mom wanted me to have a good pensionable job in the Bank, so I was sent to Secretarial School. I started with Evening Classes in Millinery in the Grafton Academy with Aileen Keoghan, then I persuaded Jacinta Fahy (a now retired Milliner, used to be on Wicklow St) to take me on as an Apprentice, I stayed with her for a year. Then I went to NCAD to do a degree in Textile Design and in one of my Summers I won an Internship to work with Stephen Jones in London. I worked with his own collection, his pieces for Liberty and headpieces for Chanel, John Galliano, Basso and Brooke, Erdem and many Celebrities. When I graduated NCAD, I went to study Millinery in Kensington and Chelsea College in London, when I came back here I got some interior design work. I was working in Powerscourt in Enniskerry at the time and the Production team for the Tudors were on location, I got talking to the Production Designer and they were interested so 24 hours later I was summonsed to the Studio for a meeting with Joan Bergin the Costume Designer and given 12 hours to deliver a hat! That was brilliant, a real adrenaline rush! During all of this I did some start your own business courses and I have just finished a degree in Entrepreneurship too.

What did you want to be growing up?
A Hairdresser, I won awards for Flower Arranging when I was a child, so sometimes that & I suppose I thought I could sing too. I still fancy myself as a bit of Martha Stewart and Jo Malone, up until a few years ago I was making my own soaps and moisturing lotion and pressing Rose petals in the hope of making perfume!

My big break?
Probably having Amy Huberman wearing my Hat to the Royal Wedding. There’s another one on the way, Lady Gaga saw one of my hats, asked for it, so I delivered it, I’m just waiting for her to wear it.

Two adjectives to describe your style?
Clean, Quirky

Style or Trends?
I’m aware of current trends, but I only use what suits me and my customer. Sometimes I will consciously reject a trend, because it’s too popular and may end up looking cheap. My hats are expensive, they need to last a lifetime and because fashion is a transient movement, I tend to keep to elegant.

Today I’m wearing . . .?
Jeans, Tan Boots, a long navy and blue tunic, that was a hand-me-down from a friend, keeping me warm is a turquoise scarf that I crocheded

Style icons?
The old ones are the best, anything that Edith Head made. People like Grace Kelly, Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn. I love Lady Gaga’s stuff, just for the sheer confidence to do what she does, but bear in mind there was Grace Jones before her.

Favourite trends?
Loving the fact that brights are back. I know what I say next not everybody’s going to agree with me, but those pale, insipid creams, beiges, biscuits, do nothing for our gorgeous Irish skin tones.

Beauty Must-Have?
My Hair is dry and curly, really curly, and when I was in the Bahamas, I picked up this controlling serum for Afro-Caribean hair, it’s oily, and I’ve asked hairdressers opinion, they told me it was too heavy, but I’m a big fan, it calms my hair and keeps bounce, which is brilliant. I now have something similar that I get from Moore Street, but it’s not the same.

Can’t live without…?
Palmers Cocoa Butter Range, I love my collection of scarves, and my late Mom’s engagement ring.

What’s a typical day?
I try to get 4 kilometers walk in each morning, other than that I don’t have an average day. Somedays I’m making hats, stitching, other days I might be doing a photoshoot with my hats, I might be talking to customers. I could spend a day catching up on e-mails or sending out photos of my work to stylists, other days I could be in Dublin meeting boutique owners or meeting customers. I’ve just moved into my new studio a design co-op called www.AbsolutelyWicklow.ie so I’m a bit of a muddle at the moment, trying to re-organise myself.

Toughest part of my job?
Getting a balance, I recently just completed a degree in Entrepreneurship, and running my business at the same time, and then I got sick. So it’s a challenge.

Favourite hangout?
My creative one is the Museum at Collins Barracks and specifically the Eileen Gray installation and the historical costumes. (My graduate collection from London was based on the Architecture of Eileen Gray). My friend has Membership to the Residence on Stephen’s Green, which is a lovely occassional luxury.

Friday night treat?
Early night, clean sheets, fresh pjymamas, perfumed body lotion and food programmes on the TV. Loving Lorraine Pascal and Nigel Slater and have a soft spot for Nevin Maguire! Or reading cook books.

Your perfect weekend is…?
I’d love to spend more time with my friends, but babies and high-flying careers take priority. I’m a water baby and a dreadful but enthusiastic sailor, so sailing. I love the post-mortem too, the tactics, having a hot-port or & crisps afterwards. I love walking along a beach too, picking samphire off the beach . . . Oh food, I’m a real foody, so maybe lunch in Avoca. Most Sundays I go to my brothers for my tea which is great & we have a good bicker as to who cooked the best!

Last time you laughed out loud?
Last night, I’m a member of a Toastmasters Club and we had a party and there were some very funny speeches. Brilliant!

Advice for anyone trying to break into the business?
Find out what you want to do and don’t take no for an answer. This applies to anyone, and any achievement. You need to find a way that when someone says no you can’t do that, you turn that around in your head and say, “one day I’ll get that done!” My own personal motto is: “There is Always a Way”. I gate-crashed Philip Treacy’s Honorary Degree Ceremony to meet him and when I was introduced to him we had a lovely chat and he told me, to make sure you get the best teachers you can get, I’m lucky that that has been the case with me.

See Sarah’s latest collections online at www.sarahmcgahon.com

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