EVENT
The hat competition Les Estivales du Chapeau
One of the highlights of the festival is the International Hat Competition, which had four categories this year, including Straw Braid, Headpieces, Men’s Hats and General. For the first time, participants were invited to respond to a theme, which was 14 July (Bastille Day), a new element that the judges agreed had raised the overall standard of the competition. The theme encouraged entrants to explore more original concepts while leaving ample room for personal interpretation, resulting in a particularly strong and creative selection of hats. The international jury was chaired by Marie-Claire Barban, founder of the French haute couture millinery company Chéri Bibi, and also included Bruno Légeron, feather and artificial flower specialist at Maison Légeron; Dennis Plooij, Dutch supplier of millinery materials; Elly Stemerdink, editor of The Hat Magazine; Saba Niknam, Iranian multidisciplinary artist and milliner; and Véronique Besnault, representing the international department of Crambes. Thierry Fresquet served as the competition’s permanent secretary. Following the success of this year’s format, the organisers have already confirmed that a themed competition will return in 2027.
Judges
Joint winner Jury Award
Winner Headpiece Award
Category Straw Braid
Headpiece Men’s Hat General
Winners Marie-Claire Barban
As president of the international jury, Marie- Claire Barban brought more than forty years
of experience in the French
millinery industry to the competition.
Founder of Chéri Bibi, which supplied the haute
20 | the hat magazine #110
couture sector, she has now retired from running the business but remains actively involved in hat making and regularly teaches straw-braid techniques through workshops in the Caussade region. Judging the competition in Caussade for the first time, she was impressed by the overall creativity of the entries and the way participants made the most of the materials available to them, regardless of their level of experience.
People’s Choice Award Maker
Aliona Slobodeniuc Aliona Slobodeniuc Nathalie Martinez
The Hat Magazine Award Nathalie Écotière Jury Prize (joint winners)
Anne Goldfarb Pierre Huvet
Virginie De Broc Winning Design
Marie-Charlotte Charrier La vague de la Bastille L’éveil
La Tulipe noire Fantasia
Nuit féerique Primavera
Citoyen exécuteur Renaissance
Saba Niknam
Originally from Iran and now based in Strasbourg, Saba Niknam is a multidisciplinary artist whose work combines drawing, ethnological research and traditional headwear. Since 2020, she has recreated and interpreted historic hats from cultures around the world, exploring the stories and symbolism behind
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