INTERVIEW
A three-phase ambition
In its early phase, the Luton Hat Company will specialise in blocking and trimming services aimed at helping independent milliners scale up their production. “If a milliner wants to move from making one-off pieces to producing quantities such as 20 hats for a boutique, they need access to presses and blocks they don’t own,” Nick explains. “Stage one is to provide those facilities so they can take that next step. We’re open to working with brands too, but my main goal is to support individual milliners first.” Looking further ahead, Nick
is determined to ensure that traditional skills are not lost as older craftsmen retire. “Stage two is about apprenticeships, especially in blocking,” he says. “The average age of blockers in Luton is getting very close to retirement, and once those skills are gone it’s very difficult to bring them back. We need to start training before that happens.” He has also been in discussions with the (local) University of Bedfordshire, which has expressed informal interest in accrediting future courses. “They’ve tried to set up hat-making programmes before, but the stumbling block has always been space and machinery,” Nick explains. “By opening up our facilities, we could finally make those courses possible.” Education remains central to the
company’s vision, and Nick is keen to draw on expertise from across the trade. He has already held informal conversations with established and experienced milliners, as well as with retired lecturers and even Philip Wright himself, who has offered to return occasionally to teach blocking. “It’s about combining the knowledge of people who have worked in the industry for 40 or 50 years with opportunities for the next generation,” Nick says. By blending formal courses with hands-on mentoring, the Luton Hat Company aims to create a learning environment where traditional methods are preserved while younger makers gain practical skills and confidence.
Heritage and community links
Beyond trade and training, Nick wants the company to reconnect the public with Luton’s hat-making story. “I’ve been speaking to the Culture Trust about opening up the workshop for tours while we’re producing,” he says. “That way,
62 | the hat magazine #107
Boaters were made in Luton by Olney Headwear until the factory closed its doors in 2020 (photo: Olney Headwear Ltd, 1934)
local schools and the wider community can see why Luton became a hat town and how the industry worked. It’s important for people here to understand the heritage on their doorstep.” Part of that vision is to bring back hats that once defined the town. With Olney Headwear’s closure a few years ago, production of Harrow school boaters stopped, and even Luton Town Football Club – whose nickname is “the Hatters” – struggled to source locally made straw boaters. Nick hopes that the Luton Hat
Company can revive these heritage pieces, ensuring that symbols of British culture are once again produced in the town that made them famous.
Machinery and workshop
For now, much of Nick’s energy is focused on preparing the site and restoring the machinery needed to begin production. The company’s new home is a former bleach yard on the family’s historic hatting estate. From Walter Wright alone,
Refurbished pressing machine parts
Photo: Alamy
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