Thirty-five-year-old Samantha Bateman from High Harrington first discovered her passion for millinery during a contemporary applied art degree at the University of Cumbria, and following the end of her degree started her ever-growing business SB Millinery.
“In my final year I specialised in millinery, so that’s really where it started,” said Samantha.
“When I left I just started doing them for friends and family.
“It just sort of grew and I have been doing it since then, so since I was 21.”
Actress Sarah Jayne Dunn wore one of Sarah’s creations to Aintree last year (Image: Instagram/Sarah Jayne Dunn)
Although Samantha says following the Covid pandemic she felt like her business was ‘starting from scratch’, in recent years as people have started to attend weddings and events again SB Millinery has ‘just taken off’.
She said: “The type of business I have, it takes a long time to get it built up, you have got to get people to trust you, to get the clients to come to you.
Samantha in one of her pieces. (Image: Supplied)
“I have got a lot of returning clients now.”
With weddings a big hit for clients wanting hats, Samantha has also found Aintree to be an incredibly busy time of year with around 65 hats being made, as well as more recently Royal Ascot.
Making all of her creations from scratch, Samantha hires the hats and fascinators out to people – with famous faces such as former TOWIE star Jessica Wright, actress Sarah Jane Dunne and Red Rose Abby Ward wearing her creations.
Samantha hand makes all of her designs. (Image: Supplied)
“It definitely gets you seen and again it’s the trust, if somebody with a name like that and their following wear your pieces, more people will trust you.
“I post pieces all up and down the country, last year Sarah Jane Dunne (who is a former Hollyoak’s actress wore one and it was just amazing how by her wearing one, you got other celebrities following you.”
Red Rose Abbie Ward in SB Millinery. (Image: Abbie Ward/Instagram)
“It’s amazing, I feel proud of myself.
“Up in Cumbria we don’t get a lot of opportunities and it’s nice that we are up in the sticks but people still want to wear my pieces.”
Samantha said that the most rewarding part of the business is seeing people wearing her creations for events up and down the country and looking at how clients style them.
Speaking about the future of the business, she said: “I just want it to keep growing as it is.
“It would be nice if some more famous faces wore any.
Samantha loves seeing how her clients style her creations. (Image: Supplied)
“But it’s nice as well that I have got all my regulars that come back, they’re the ones that pass the word on, so I’ll be happy if it just keeps growing as it is.”
Hats are created by Samantha and hired out to clients, with the milliner ‘constantly making up’ designs ‘to keep stocks fresh’.
To find out more about SB Millinery or arrange an appointment, you can contact Samantha on social media or via her website here.