Maison Michel: The Art of Hats

Maison Michel makes beautiful and covetable hats since 1936 for the most prestigious fashion houses and private clients.  The prestigious design house has made hats for Givenchy, Chanel, Lanvin and many others.  Founded by hat maker Auguste Michel it's now owned by Chanel.   Chanel's accessories and jewelry artistic director, Laetitia Crahay is in charge of the Michel House.  Besides the perfectly made hats the Michel House also offers other headgear that are as beautiful as they are fun such as rabbit ear headbands, lace veils, rain hoods.  Below the company website explains their handcrafting approach.
"The hatmaker shapes felt or straw cones. The material is initially prepared to make it stiff and to give the hat its structure. It is then passed through a steam box so that the moisture makes it malleable. The hatmaker takes it out and stretches it over its wooden block.  The block,  made from limewood, generally has two parts, the crown and the brim.  Once the material has been applied and stretched on the block, it is dried in an oven at 90 °C." MM.