ALL HATS ORDERED AFTER 18 DEC 23 WILL BE SHIPPED FROM 16 JAN 24. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN 2023. SEE YOU IN 2024!

THE REAL CRYSTAL BIRCH

Milliner Extraordinaire, Crystal Birch, is a leading lady in the sartorial landscape of South Africa - and when it comes to hats or anything adorning the head, she is the go-to for the countries’ most creative characters. 

You see - for a while there, it looked like hats were making a dramatic exit-stage-left, with elegant pillboxes, bowler hats and the like fading into obscurity as mere archival memories in the back of ouma’s closet.

For a brief moment it seemed like all we were left with was the beanie or peak cap - that is, until in a move of sheer vision, Crystal was called to turn her degree from Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion right on its head (!) by preserving the art of millinery; while simultaneously re-introducing us to the inherent power that only the hat can hold for completing a look.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Crystal studied under milliner maestro’s, Piers Atkinson and Noel Stewart, in London - advancing her skills with impeccable craftsmanship.

In 2018, Crystal trained under her mentor Harry Faktor of Parisian Milliners - a hat manufacturer established in 1936 - eventually acquiring the heritage company and transforming it into The Hat Factory.

Although Crystal remains a guardian of millinery tradition, her power lies in her rare ability to elevate hat-making as effortlessly chic and totally relevant for the 21st century. Under Crystal’s watchful eye, every hat is designed and imbued with its own unique essence by an incredible in-house team; championing local production for global locations.