Hats Off to Stockport’s HATStock

It’s Hat’s Off to the success of Stockport’s inaugural HATstock event as it doffed it’s cap to the town’s contemporary millinery industry and hat-making heritage in the town.  

Last Saturday’s event, at the Hat Works Museum, welcomed a steady stream of well-dressed hat lovers, makers and suppliers.

Visitors to the Museum were treated to a day of talks, tours and shopping.

Talks by milliners and a hatting historian ran throughout the day. Presentations covered topics as varied as selling online by Bink of Pearls & Swine and the story of the development of ‘The Hat Stand’ by Georgina Abbott and Becky Weaver.

A presentation by the creators of London Hat Week examined how events like HATstock can grow to become major events in the cultural calendar.

The event also featured a sumptuous exhibition of hats for visitors to try, exhibited by milliners from Sheffield, Cumbria, Huddersfield, Harrogate, Leeds, the Wirral and Stockport.

Visitors also experienced Taster Tours of the Museum’s machinery floor, to find out how hats were made on an industrial scale in Stockport. Parkin Fabrics put together a marketplace offering advice and selling millinery materials.

Refreshments were provided via a ‘pop up’ cafe courtesy of B’Spoke Coffee House featuring superb locally roasted coffee with cakes from Wonderland Cakes Manchester.

The event was set up in partnership with Stockport Council and Brain Tumour Research, whose Sara Eltman raised awareness of both the charity and funds in the lead up to the Charity’s ‘Wear A Hat Day’ on Friday (31st March).

Commenting, Councillor Kate Butler, Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration said:

“This inaugural HatStock has proven a strong success in highlighting the contemporary millenary industry in our town, alongside our cultural heritage in hat-making.

“I want to applaud those who have worked so hard to put together such a varied and fascinating event. It is truly a case of hats off!

“Given the clear success of this event, I am hopeful HATStock may return as a fixture in Stockport’s cultural calendar.”