Filmed & edited by Malibongwe Tyilo

Crystal Birch decided she would work at Parisian Milliners CC, an 83-year-old hat manufacturer, back in 2004 during a school outing.

It is not difficult to understand why: there is something Alice in Wonderlandesque in entering the mad world of the hatter. Shelves of moulds stacked like expressionless heads, pieces of silk fabric, straws and feathers floating at will, patterns drying flat before taking form, it’s a place where heads are crowned. Time has no grip, shapes that were popular in the mid-Fifties are making their way to today’s horse races and even the beach.

“We are in Africa and should all be wearing hats against the harsh sun. Safety first!” points out Birch.

The young milliner creates hats that have a life of their own, really. Each style is so singular, unique and – it seems – personal, that it will drip its character over you. A supersized wide-brimmed straw hat is perfect for our hemisphere’s hot summers and it will clearly let the beach know you’re not into tanning. A bright red pillbox hat with a veil as light as a butterfly implies that you may be shy, but the ruby red of its fabric will call for undivided attention.

“A hat changes your whole persona, so why not dare to play?” says Birch. Why not indeed?

A funeral at Disney is the latest iteration of Birch’s wild imagination.

“It was Mickey [Mouse]’s 90th birthday recently and I thought his friends must be pretty old too. Life is not just happy times like in Disney films (many of which I have been watching with my daughter!). There are sad times too. I have also lost many people close to me… Funerals could definitely do with a make-over!” she says.

The Real Crystal Birch; Photography: Jacobus Snyman; Make-up and hair: Gareth Coleman; Stylist: Peter Gerogiades; Models: Avive M and Marchelle L.

A collection can be sparked by “an idea, an encounter or an existing hat that I would like to revisit. Each journey is unique and unpredictable.”

It can then take from one to many hours and six to 14 hands to create one hat. Walking through her studio – a factory of 1,000m2 and 40 staff cutting, trimming, drying, dying or colouring like a well-oiled millinery – is the equivalent of walking into a candy store: rows of colour-coded hats (Marie Kondo would approve) waiting to be tried and tested. The Real Crystal Birch is her personal and most creative line and the one that gets some of the most unusual requests:

“For a custom piece, the person’s personal style and input is very important. Sometimes, it is led by an idea they had and I get to complete the picture. I had a woman request that I make a hat in the exact colour of her horse; hair sample, picture included! I met a woman who whipped a few dried snake skins out of her handbag and requested I make her a top hat. These are the moments I live for!”

Yet, the company’s core revenue comes from the manufacturing of hats for church, sports, to complete school uniforms and for other fashion retailers.

The Real Crystal Birch; Photography: Jacobus Snyman; Make-up and hair: Gareth Coleman; Stylist: Peter Gerogiades; Models: Avive M and Marchelle L.

The Real Crystal Birch; Photography: Jacobus Snyman; Make-up and hair: Gareth Coleman; Stylist: Peter Gerogiades; Models: Avive M and Marchelle L.

Men and women wearing hats were already depicted in Egyptian art around 3,500BC. Throughout the centuries, hats made their way into fashion, at times proud political statements – like the Phrygian cap worn by the revolutionaries during the French revolution – or practical garments, like the cricket cap and the tennis visor that are necessary during a game. The term “milliner” appeared during the Renaissance in Milan although it is not certain how it made its way into multiple languages around the world. Hats come in all shapes and forms, topping, wrapping, covering, completing someone’s head with the determination of something whose role is to conclude the silhouette. Yet, a little too much and it swallows the owner’s allure; not enough and it disappears into a bad hair day.

For now, a procession of black hats, berets, cloche and pillbox hats, with Mickey ears and hand, a delicate veil à la Minnie, is passing by, leaving a trail of poetry behind it.

“Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone. Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone. Silence the pianos and with muffled drum, bring out the coffin… let the mourners come.” (W.H. Auden) Indeed, but make it in style. ML