Celebrity Designer Backs Sandown Hat Revival

The return of hat-wearing at Sandown Bay Regatta has won praise from a leading milliner to the rich and famous.

David Shilling, known for designing eccentric headwear for his mother Gertrude at Ascot races, has given his thumbs-up to the initiative and welcomed the sustainable approach taken by the organisers.

"As I have championed hat-wearing all my life, I am happy to see this project,’" says Shilling, whose work has featured in international collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre.

"Hats are good for you and those around you. You do not need to spend a fortune on them as you can get a few scraps together and and make something fabulous with a bit of time and care.

"And perhaps now more than ever we all need some charming, innocent, fun moments in our lives."

The 2023 Regatta Hats project by Sandown Carnival had sustainability at its heart and attracted the support of Arts Council England.

Echoing the lost tradition of hat-wearing at Regattas in the past, hundreds of locals got involved in the project over the summer.

Primary school pupils and care home residents worked with artists to make hats from seed paper, and a series of community workshops saw the creation of six spectacular hats as a tribute to Gertrude Shilling who had connections with the town.

The 'Shilling Showstoppers’ were seen by thousands in High Street window installations and at Sandown Illuminated Carnival.

The hats also featured in the Grand Regatta Hat Parade in August, drawing admiring applause from the crowds.

Now the project's success is being celebrated in an exhibition at Boojum & Snark which runs until the new year.

The exhibition features some of the Shilling Showstopper hats along with images from the 2023 Regatta Hat Parade by photographer Julian Winslow. 

The project's creative producer Tracy Mikich says:

"Hat-wearing at the 2023 Sandown Regatta was a unique and fun tradition that brought the community together and gave the town a sense of identity.

"Reviving this tradition has not only provided creative opportunities for all, but it has also brought vibrancy, joy and lightheartedness to Sandown and that’s definitely worthy of tipping your hat to."