JANICE CHARLES

In her own words

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My love of design and creativity became apparent as early as five years old. I subjected my poor dolls to hours of torture by wrapping fabric around them, desperately trying to make them look like they were wearing fabulous dresses. Even then, I had an insatiable appetite for anything and everything creative.

As the years went by, I pestered my mum to teach me how to hand sew. After several attempts (including one which involved me unintentionally sewing my skirt to the duvet), I finally learned — and then there was no stopping me. I continued “torturing” my dolls with new outfits and soon moved on to customising my own clothes.

My love of fashion and glamour stems from old Hollywood — watching movies starring icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and many other stars of that era. The 1940s and 1950s remain my favourite periods in fashion. Women truly knew how to dress back then, with beautifully tailored dresses, elegance, and unforgettable hats.

I’ve been very fortunate that everything I have ever done in my life has revolved around the arts. I studied Fashion before later moving on to Three Dimensional Design, which incorporated Product Design, Architecture and Interiors. Each of these disciplines has helped shape my creative style and design philosophy.

Architecture and Interiors became the field I chose to work in. I discovered that designing spaces, creating structures and sourcing fabrics was incredibly fulfilling. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to take time away from this work. However, the desire to create never left me, and I was always searching for ways to keep my creativity alive.

During this time, I discovered my ability to design and make hats after coming across some leftover materials from my courses. Looking at the materials with fresh eyes, I could picture a hat in my mind — although I wasn’t entirely sure how to bring it to life. Determined to try, I put my sewing skills to work and began experimenting until my vision became reality.

Once the hat was completed, I showed it to friends and asked for their opinions. Their reaction surprised me — they immediately wanted to know where I had bought it.

In 2010, I entered the “Who Wants to Be a Millin-aire” competition and was shocked, amazed and excited to be selected as one of the final 12 designers from over 2,500 entries. As a completely self-taught milliner, I never expected to be competing against established professionals, so it was an incredible honour to be chosen.

As a result of the competition, my design was sold in the John Lewis flagship store on Oxford Street in London, which made me realise that this passion could become something much more than just a hobby.

Today, House of Charles creates bespoke hats made to order, alongside ready-made couture pieces for women who want to stand out from the crowd.