Ahead of the world-famous race meet later this month, Royal Ascot has announced a new millinery partnership with the King’s Foundation and Chanel, cementing the future of the UK’s hatmaking industry.
Anyone who has been to Royal Ascot knows it’s as much about the fashion as it is the horse racing, having long been the world’s leading stage for couture millinery. Today, Ascot has taken its commitment to style one step further, introducing a new £10,000 annual bursary to support a millinery student graduating from the Chanel and the King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Millinery Fellowship.
Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective – with 2025’s collection unveiled at London Fashion Week in February – the partnership promises to ensure that this time-honoured craft continues for future generations and preserves the skills and creativity that defines millinery.
The fellowship launched last year with a cohort of six students, who embarked on an intensive 35-week programme split between the Chanel Metiers d’Art Training Atelier at Highgrove, the King’s Foundation HQ in London and a placement at Parisian hatmaker, Maison Michel, in partnership with Le19M. It came as part of King Charles III’s wider work to protect the UK’s traditional heritage skills from decline.
Daniel McAuliffe, education director at the King’s Foundation, said: “This is such a fantastic opportunity for our talented millinery students as they begin to build their businesses. The Royal Family are incredible ambassadors for the craft of millinery and as the King’s charity we are proud to be supporting the future of this skill at the most iconic hat-wearing event of the year.”
In addition to the bursary – which will be open to students enrolling from September 2025 – applicants will also be tasked with designing a Royal Ascot-inspired hat, with only one headpiece selected to feature in the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective from 2026 onwards. An exhibition of this year’s hats will also be showcased in the Queen Anne Enclosure at Royal Ascot, offering racegoers a unique opportunity to view work by this emerging talent.
Felicity Barnard, chief executive of Ascot Racecourse, added: “This year has been a landmark moment for Ascot as we not only celebrate a decade of our Millinery Collective but also make our debut on the London Fashion Week calendar. Exquisite hats and millinery masterpieces are woven into the very fabric of Royal Ascot’s heritage and we are committed to preserving and celebrating this tradition for generations to come.”
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