The magic of Maison Michel: Inside the Chanel-owned hatmakers crafting pieces for runway and royalty

If you’ve ever looked to the runway of Chanel and marvelled at the heaven-sent headpieces that grace the catwalk (think Virginie Viard's sizeably circumferenced sun hats of AW24; or the many tweedy caps and cloches of the late Karl Lagerfeld), then you’ve witnessed the magic of Maison Michel. Similarly, if you’ve noticed an It-girl, aristo or real-life princess (like Princess Alexia of the Netherlands as seen last month) and glimpsed an understated ‘MM’ monogram on her boater, bibi or fedora, again, you’ve observed the refined elegance of the historic Parisian hatmakers. Now, the heritage house - and proud partner of Chanel’s Métiers d’art contingent - is celebrating its 90th birthday. And a new exhibition at the Maison’s multi-atelier and gallery, le 19M, presents the millinery emporium as the star of its own story: Métamorphoses, Les Chapeaux du Maison Michel.

‘The idea of the exhibition is for people to rediscover - or discover for some of them - the hat, and the fact that hats are everywhere in our environment. [They’re] part of the history of human beings since forever. As far as you can remember, hats were there,’ says Priscilla Royer, creative director of Maison Michel. ‘It's the idea of showing the process and in the end to realise that, while Maison Michel is launching this exhibition and talking about headwear, it's beyond Maison Michel and it's bigger than Maison Michel. So it should echo the work of all the independent millionaires and hatmakers everywhere,’ she continues.

The history of the Maison itself is one that’s steeped in glamour, intrigue and artistry. The house was originally opened in 1936 by its namesake founder, Augustine Michel, with a small workshop on rue Saint Anne in the French capital’s 2nd arrondissement. Michel then handed over the keys to entrepreneur-milliner couple, Pierre and Claudine Debard, who by the 1970s garnered the house its reputation as the go-to milliner for the city’s leading couturiers. In 1997, it was acquired by Chanel - joining its Métiers d’art division - with an eponymous line launched in 2006 under the artistic direction Laetitia Crahay. Priscilla Royer took over in 2015, injecting a new energy into the house, and remaining in this position to this day. Since Royer’s appointment, Maison Michel has been responsible for preserving 4,000 hat blocks - the wooden hand-carved molds used to give headpieces their shapes and silhouettes - with many of these now on display at the exhibition, showcasing the immense craftsmanship behind titular Maison Michel creations, like the famed ‘Virginie’ style, as favoured by the Duchess of Sussex when attending Wimbledon back in 2018.

Visitors will be able to take a journey through the process themselves, from the first sketch on the page, to the final product, witnessing first-hand the historic techniques still present and prevalent today, from straw-sewing and felt-stretching, to ornamental beadwork and delicate veiling. ‘The heritage of the house is the variety of all [our] shapes, really. It's a very good and generous archive, which allows us to experiment a lot and gives us enough room to explore the shapes and the history behind [them],’ says Royer. Maison Michel today produces two main collections per year at its le19M atelier, with a core team of 10 artisans at each stage of its operations. If a new block needs to be created, developing a new style can vary greatly, but on average you’d be looking at about three weeks to a month to craft a piece from design to creation.

Meanwhile, outside of curating the new exhibition, Royer has been working closely with the millinery students of Chanel and the King’s Foundation’s fellowship, ensuring these heritage crafts are protected and shared with the next generation of budding hatmakers. ‘It's really a special moment that we spend together. You meet them, you see them working really hard. And what I find very admiring is that in the first part of the program, they learn the basics, of course. They learn the traditional way of making things. And then little by little, you see the personality and the aestheticism emerge from them. And at the end of the year, they can fly on their own and they’re actually very strong-minded.’

Working from His Majesty King Charles’s treasured Highgrove estate, student Emily Hurst from last year’s cohort was awarded a £10,000 bursary with a partnership from Royal Ascot’s millinery collective. A keen straw-weaver, the King has since planted a new straw field in the grounds of Sandringham to support her work. ‘Straw is an extraordinary and often overlooked material with deep cultural significance and an exciting future in modern fashion. I’m passionate about helping this heritage craft not only survive, but thrive again,’ she told Tatler last year.

Back at Maison Michel HQ, one of the house’s most enduring inspirations is the feline. Lacey cat ears emerged as an It-girl must-have in the 2010s when worn by the likes of Sky Ferreira, the Olsen twins and Rihanna. ‘At the time, it was a lot about talking about ears that would make you feel a bit sexier,’ says Royer, referencing the famed Playboy ears of yore.

Later came the ‘Jamie’ - an evolved cap-like interpretation in a cascade of coloured felt options bearing two kitten’s ears - remains one of its most indelible silhouettes. ‘The “Jamie” kind of happened as more of a response to the street-wear vibe going on. It became a proper hat with a straight visor and a kind of hip hop vibe to it. The ears are part of the Maison Michel DNA,’ she confirms.

Letting that cat out of the bag, if you will, it’s no surprise then that Chanel’s present day patriarch, Matthieu Blazy, went straight to Royer for her expertise to create the alluring pussycat fascinators of the Métiers d’art 2026 collection, presented in New York back in December. ‘For this special piece, Matthieu wanted to talk about [attending] a ball with a mask, where you actually wouldn't wear your mask [on your face], but you would just put it up [on your head]. It’s the idea of having a mask, that's not worn on the face,’ Royer explains. The piece was paired with animal print gowns and dress coats for the show and became a key talking point from the collection. ‘It was a good moment for the house,’ she adds. Now, the wooden Maison Michel block bearing the cat’s face forms part of the new exhibition.

Having worked with former Chanel creative directors Karl Lagerfeld, Virginie Viard and now Blazy, Royer explains that collaboration is at the heart of the business. ‘There's some kind of sparkles and magic going on and it's in the air [during these moments]. You know when it's going to be big somehow. You know the winner from the beginning. It's really funny how it works. We are very concerned in a good way, so we are all on the case. And the magic about Maison Michel is that I'm attached to the Maison physically. So I just need to walk two metres and then I am at the atelier. So it's very immediate. It's a nonstop exchange and dialogue with the artisan. Every step of the way I see how they are, how they work and when we can anticipate to do in the next steps. t's a very, very privileged process,’ Royer shares.

Prior to joining the felt-wrapped fold, and following her studies at Central Saint Martins, the designer cut her teeth working for the late Dame Vivienne Westwood at the style deity’s Red Label division. ‘What I keep in mind the most [from those days] is to always think outside the box. Don't take the easy road or the commercial road. You need to question things and to really think about what you're doing: everything needs to have a meaning. That's what I cherish every day as my memory at Westwood,’ Royer recalls. Naturally, that puts her in the perfect position to note the nuanced difference of the Parisian and the British hat customer. ‘It's much more bold in the UK. They really have the love for hats and they still cherish the culture of wearing hats. For them, it's super easy. For instance, for Ascot, when you meet with the client, the French would go very classic - it's already a step further for them to wear hats. For the English, it's no problem. They could go very eccentric. They could go very gimmicky. They could go with a sense of humor,’ she explains.

So, is there such a thing as having too many hats? Or, similarly does a perfect number of pieces exist for one fashion fan to have in their wardrobe? In short, no (‘It could be endless!’). But, as Royer - who confesses at her home she is surrounded by hat boxes (‘I don’t know where to place them!’) - attests, ‘The main thing is to try to wear them at least once a year or something if you do have so many.’ Sage advice indeed…