About Me

Lauren Martin - Theatrical Milliner

I began my costume and millinery career in Melbourne, Australia, studying costume construction at Swinburne University, and millinery at the Melbourne School of Fashion. In 2006 I moved to London, and a little after that began working for hat designer Philip Treacy.

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Since 2013 I have lived in Nottingham, UK, and work as a freelance theatrical milliner and costume maker. I predominantly make hats for theatre, museums and heritage, but also for film and television.

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In 2021 I completed an MA by research on the topic of 'Milliners and millinery in 1830s England', and my current dress history research examines bonnets from the period 1800 to 1860. I also study nineteenth century headwear more broadly, and have a lot of recent experience making Tudor and Elizabethan reproductions of gable and French hoods.

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Most of my freelance work is commissioned privately, however since 2014 I have also run an Etsy shop (The Vintage Milliner) as an online 'storefront', and am always happy to discuss potential commissions there.

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When not in my Nottingham studio, I  teach costume construction on the BA(Hons) Costume Design and Making course at Nottingham Trent University.