Additional Information
One can enter this field in a number of ways.
A number of universities and performing arts centers offer courses in millinery
through their theater programs. A number of community colleges also offer
courses in fashion design, where one can learn some of the necessary techniques
and skills.
The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York also offers an extensive
certificate program in millinery.
You may also pursue a millinery education in Europe, where hats are more
popular than in North America.
"In England, there are a tremendous number of schools where you can get
into a formal millinery education, and then go through an apprenticeship program,"
says milliner Jan Davidson.
And let us not forget Paris, the world's fashion capital. There is also
a school in Switzerland. Australia is also a good place to study millinery
because the government there encourages people to wear hats to protect themselves
against harmful UV radiation.
You may also learn millinery from the many milliners who teach on the side
to complement their incomes. Wayne Wichern, for instance, teaches millinery
between jobs. He also learned millinery from another milliner.
But regardless of where you learn millinery, you must be interested in
fashion and be creative if you want to succeed in this field, says Efstathia
Xynnis. And you must be willing to spend a lot of time at your craft.
"You have to have patience to work with people, and to make things," she
says.