Milliner Awon Golding talks about her Manipuri influence and why there’s a hat for every person

She is a member of the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective, an initiative that celebrates the artistry and craftsmanship of millinery for the Royal Ascot, a prestigious British horse-racing competition with exquisite millinery worn by racegoers. “This is my fifth or sixth time being a part of it. It’s always such an honour. It’s a lovely slice of millinery from around the world.”

Her contribution to the 2024 Royal Ascot Millinery Collective is a hat titled ‘Huzzah!’ which is a bicorne, a military hat originally made from black wool felt. She added a modern twist by using crinoline which gives it a lighter feel and more fashionable appearance. Her hats were worn by numerous women at the 2024 Royal Ascot that was held last month.

SS2006: One of Golwin’s creations

Golding’s mother, Lungshimla Keishing, hails from Manipur’s Tangkhul Naga tribe. The granddaughter of Lt. Rishang Keishing, who served as the chief minister of Manipur and the first Naga Member of Parliament, she attended Woodstock School, Mussoorie, for two years where she did her middle school. “We visit Manipur often, to meet relatives. We went two Christmases ago; it was the first time my husband went there. It was great to show him our Naga culture,” says Golding.

She brings her multifaceted world view into her design as well. In her Spring/Summer ’15 collection at the London Fashion Week, she drew inspiration from Naga motifs and colours. “The whole collection was red, white and black, like our shawls,” she says. She likes to create fun hats with bold shapes and eye-catching designs. She fuses traditional elements and modern aesthetics in her design, making her hats easily wearable, too.

“The first place I start when I create a collection is colour. That is a direct link to India. I love bright colours. England is more subdued that way. India is full of colour, motifs, graphics and I bring a lot of these elements into my work,” says Golding, who earned a distinction in Millinery in 2010 from Kensington Chelsea College.

In 2009, she left her fashion writing and editing job in Hong Kong and moved to London, “the capital for hats in the world”. Golding is also a founding member of the British Hat Guild, a national organisation of professional milliners, hatters and headwear designers.

“We’ve been at it for four years since we brought the Guild back. It used to be there in the ’90s until it became defunct and now it’s taken on a more millinery focus, maker-focus thing,” she says, “We all bring different skills and experience to the Guild. It’s really a cross section of the best in our business.”

Besides designing hats, she is also passionate about animal welfare. She is the founder of the Haute Dogs Calendar, an initiative that combines both her passions — where rescue dogs are photographed in the world’s finest millinery in the hope of raising money. “This was a little light bulb moment because Stevie (her rescue staffy) is in the studio a lot, so I put a hat on her every so often and take photographs. The calendar came out of that really,” she says.

One thing she hears from people frequently is ‘I don’t suit hats’, because they are not worn as often anymore. “That is not true. There is a hat out there for every shape. It’s about trying them on, having some fun and discerning what is the best style for you,” says Golding, “Saying ‘I don’t suit hats’ is like saying ‘I don’t suit shoes’.”