INTERVIEW
brand, and I feel very responsible for it. I put my heart and soul into it, to be honest. When I put out a new collection, there’s a lot of pressure. It’s very, very personal. I feel scrutinised and so I always end up prioritising the Lock & Co production over my own hats and that can be a problem. “I’ve learned over the years that being
a milliner isn’t just about making hats; it’s about running a business across multiple platforms and presenting yourself and your brand in a cohesive way. That’s where my experience on Juice Mag really helped, as all the messaging had to link up to create a cohesive brand identity. I learned a lot of computer skills like Adobe Suite with the magazine job too which has come in especially useful for fashion shoots. I think these sorts of things could be beneficial for millinery students to study. It’s a shame really that we don’t have a bachelor’s degree in hat making in the UK as they do elsewhere, as there are quite a few holes in what’s currently available in Britain. For example, there was only one business module available on the HNC and I think that’s an area where students would definitely benefit from more input.”
Haute Dogs
As well as being a talented milliner and ardent hat lover, Awon is also passionate about dogs. In 2018 she adopted Stevie (her beloved rescue Staffie) from the charity All Dogs Matter, and it led to something completely unexpected – Haute Dogs. Awon explains: “I’d always wanted to give something back to the charity where I found Stevie but hadn’t quite found the right way of doing it. Then one day I literally had one of those
Molly wearing a hat by
Awon Golding in the 2024 Haute Dog Calendar
light-bulb moments! Long-suffering Stevie had been trying on hats in my studio for years and I have a wide network of milliner friends all over the world, so I decided to put the two things together and produce a charity calendar featuring dogs wearing gorgeous one-off hats! The concept is simple: 12 rescue dogs, 12 unique hats by international milliners and one Haute Dogs calendar per year. So far, we’ve created five calendars and we’ve raised more than £70,000 for local and international dog rescue charities. “It’s actually been another channel
for all those production and networking skills I learned back in my magazine days. We were a small team at Juice Mag, so it was all about pulling in favours and using your personal network to make things happen. If you don’t have generational wealth behind you (which I certainly don’t), then it’s all about hustling. You’re working on a shoestring, so you get clever about channelling your own and other people’s talents to create something beautiful each month. These skills were invaluable to me not only when I was launching my own business but also when I came up with the Haute Dogs calendar idea too. Our 2024 calendar will support Harbin SHS, which rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes dogs from the illegal meat trade in China. Everyone involved in the calendars contributes voluntarily and every penny we raise goes to charity.” I ask Awon if there are any plans to
produce a similar ultra-cute ‘cats in hats’ calendar at some point down the line. “I’d say I’m very much a dog person,” she laughs. “But who knows! We’re now thinking of setting up as a CIC
Revel wearing a hat by
Awon Golding in the 2021 Haute Dog Calendar
Stevie wearing a hat by Rachel Oates in the 2019 Haute Dogs Calendar
(community interest company) so we can apply for grants to help us keep this going. The first person we’d employ is a social media expert. Even doing the Haute Dogs Instagram account takes up a huge amount of time.”
What’s next?
As she is an expert juggler, I would say that anything is possible for Awon. She just needs more hours in the day! 2024 will see her celebrate ten years of Awon Golding Millinery and she has plans. “I’d say I’m pretty evenly split between my domestic and international customers. I’m currently stocked in Fenwick in London, but I mostly sell through my website and Instagram – I find a lot of people are shopping through Instagram these days. I’d really like to expand my reach and I’d love to have more time to focus on e-commerce. I’ve had some great coaching through Cockpit Arts, but I just haven’t had the bandwidth to focus on it. Next year is all about knuckling down and coming up with a longer-term plan. My first ever commercial collection (Colori Gelati S/S 14) combined soft ice cream-coloured pastels with bold graphic lines and for my tenth anniversary I’d like to bring out a celebration range that will re-imagine some of those best sellers. I’m just not quite sure when I’ll get round to doing it yet!”
More information
www.awongolding.com
www.lockhatters.com
For informatiom about the 2024 Haute Dogs Calendar, see page 7
24 | the hat magazine #99
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