From studying Textile Design to crafting hats for London Fashion Week and the West End
10 March 2026
After being drawn to Falmouth because of the vibrant studio environment, the passion and care lecturers have for their students’ experience, and the course’s emphasis on honing technique and skillsets, BA(Hons) Textile Design alumnus, Niall White, has now traded his Falmouth graduation cap for a career in crafting hats for Royal Ascot, London Fashion Week and the West End.
Niall’s career first sprung to life after he discovered an interest in millinery in his second year at Falmouth. Having been set a brief to work within Falmouth’s Textiles & Dress Collection, Niall found himself researching costumes from old Hollywood cinema and 1930s cabaret. “I was fascinated by the headwear from these periods,” Niall tells us. “A short while after this I completed a millinery internship which put my interest into context. I was quite taken with the craft; I love how it blends sculpture, heritage craft and textiles.”
Remembering his time as a student, Niall reflected: “I have a lot of fond memories of the final year of our degree: the camaraderie between students, the energy in the studio, everyone working towards a final project and sharing their knowledge and advice. The tutors and technicians at Falmouth truly made the experience special, and there was much to be learnt from each of them. They nurtured my desire to expand my work into different avenues, which goes to show how broad textile design can be and where it can take you.”
Following his time at Falmouth, Niall was just one of six to receive a place on the CHANEL and King’s Foundation Métiers D’Art Millinery Fellowship. An intensive nine-month educational programme set up to preserve the craft of millinery, the fellowship offered Niall the chance to build his millinery knowledge, learn from some of the best tutors and make vital industry connections. “It gave me the chance to bring my skills to the next level,” Niall shared. “I feel it's given me a huge head start within my field. It's a rare opportunity to be able to take nine months out to hone and learn a craft, and it’s one I'm extremely grateful for. Leading on from the fellowship, I've made hats for Royal Ascot, London Fashion Week, the West End and some private clients.”
Niall’s time at London Fashion Week saw him making hats for two designers: Talia Byre and Patrick McDowell. “Though intimidating at first to have no one to answer to but yourself, it was also empowering to be in control and make all the decisions,” Niall reflected. “It was an amazing platform for my work and offered me the opportunity to showcase millinery in a contemporary context.”
Sharing what he’s been up to more recently, Niall said: “Last autumn I came back from an internship with Maison Michel at CHANEL, Paris. I got offered the internship right off the back of the King’s Foundation Métiers D’Art Millinery Fellowship. The opportunity came about right before the CHANEL SS26 show, so I was thrown in the deep end with research, sampling and immersing myself into the atelier.
“Learning from all the modistes in the atelier was an absolute privilege; they are all very talented and have a lifetime of experience in couture fashion. Millinery doesn’t exist on the same scale in the UK; every workshop is smaller and more limited.”
“It was an amazing experience to work in such a place,” Niall added. “I tried to learn as much as I could from everyone, asking as many questions as I could to acquire new skills.
“Now I’m back in the UK, I’m taking time to focus on some of my own projects, as I aim to build my client base from my East London studio. I'm also looking to get some training in a military millinery studio, as this has always been an area of interest for me.”
External links
Leading photo credit: Alex Kurunis. Model: Jason Lloyd Evans.
London Fashion Week photo credit: Patrick McDowell.
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