Fortin Hats owner and milliner Becky-Jane Fortin is hosting The Hat Box, a pop-up on Maude St.
Photo by
Hailey Wight
Shepparton-born milliner Becky-Jane Fortin had to leave home to learn her craft, but she has returned to put it on display.
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After learning to sew from her grandmother, Ms Fortin trained in millinery in Melbourne and Europe before specialising in felt hats and establishing her business back in Shepparton.
Now, she is putting her craft on display through The Hat Box, a pop-up millinery studio and exhibition as part of the PayPal Australian Fashion Festival’s first Shepparton series.
Visitors can watch her work or attend scheduled demonstrations to see the techniques behind the traditional craft until October 11.
“What a great way to get local people to see what a milliner does,” she said.
Ms Fortin specialises in felt hats rather than the fascinators more commonly associated with millinery, and is also an official Akubra repairer, with customers travelling from across the country for her services.
“Hats aren’t just for the races ... they’re for sun protection, just to feel put together, or for special events,” she said.
“The felt hats and the hats that I’m making, they’ll last for years to come.”
Fortin Hats owner and milliner Becky-Jane Fortin’s pop up millinery studio and exhibition is part of the PayPal Australian Fashion Festival’s Shepparton series.
Photo by
Hailey Wight
She hopes sharing her career will help demonstrate the pathways creative industries can offer.
“You don't have to follow a particular path to have a career, there are creative fields that you can work in,” she said.
She also said it was a misconception that regional communities weren’t interested in fashion and the arts.
“I think people sometimes assume that people that aren’t in a big city are not fashionable, but that’s just not true,” she said.
“We all have to dress, we all have to wear clothes.”
Ms Fortin said the festival was giving locals the chance to experience creative events in a regional setting.
“Things that you would travel to Melbourne to see you are experiencing here in your home town,” she said.
“Exposure to the arts should be for everybody, no matter where you come from.”
The festival has brought designers, artists and creatives together across Shepparton through 15 events, including Ms Fortin’s pop-up and workshops, talks, exhibitions and styling sessions.
The PayPal Australian Fashion Festival’s Behind the Runway photography exhibition is on until Friday, October 9.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
“To have such big names come here to Shepparton that we don’t need to travel is really exciting,” Ms Fortin said.
The PayPal Australian Fashion Festival Shepparton Series continues until Sunday, October 11 with events ranging from free activities to ticketed experiences under $60.
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