The building where I live and work was purchased by my mother in 1970 when she was only 23 years old. Or maybe “saved” is a better word: It had been abandoned for 10 years and nobody wanted to buy it. It had no central heating, was generally in a state of disrepair — and the garden had been completely neglected for decades.
But my mom saw the potential and decided to take on this immense project. To create an additional source of income, she decided to rent out some rooms and started a nursery on the ground floor, which was quite an eccentric project in those days. Every time a tenant moved out of the house, she would take the opportunity to renovate the now-available room and add it to our own living space. And this is how our house got bigger and bigger.
During this gradual, yearslong renovation, my mother encountered a variety of unexpected (yet pleasant!) surprises, including the original wooden floors and floor tiles, and the black marble fireplaces on the ground floor and in the master bedroom on the second floor.
I moved out when I became a young woman and started my own life. I inherited my mom’s creative genes and decided to study fashion, graduating with a degree from a university in The Hague. After that, I took summer courses for four years at the London College of Fashion.
After college, I began working with my mom at De Spiegeltent, a traditional music and dance theatre established in 1912, located down the road from our home. My mother had turned it into a successful business and today it is still in the family, run by my brother.
In 1990, at 23, I started designing my own hats and renting them out for the special events that took place at De Spiegeltent. I also started organising events with hats playing a main role. In addition to hats, I designed a few special garments and clothing for De Spiegeltent.
I loved the creative challenges of this early time in my career, but longed to be back in The Hague, so I returned. This was when I decided to start focusing on hat design exclusively. My designs were no longer connected to De Spiegeltent and I began working with private clients and doing commission work.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BERRY RUTJES JR.
Since the Netherlands does not hold a very strong culture for hat design, I started teaching courses, both locally and abroad. I really enjoyed this period, because I was facing so many new challenges and growing creatively with each new project.
When my mom passed away in 2009, I decided to move back into my childhood house. I had very fond memories of this place and had a very special connection with my mother. So, moving back to Gouda was very nostalgic for me. And, of course, because the house is a monument, it’s a very special environment for living and working.
I’m passionate about fencing and tap dancing and I stack my shoes and equipment on the rack in the hallway, along with shoes that belonged to my mom. It’s a way for me to combine the past with the present. On the wall, there’s a black and white photo of my mom and me, when I was a little girl.
When I moved in, I changed the colours of the walls on the ground floor and created a hatter’s shop on the street side of the ground floor. The front room and the former laundry room became my atelier. And, finally, I simply personalised my mother’s house by decorating it with my own belongings.
Today, I share the home with my husband, Frans, and my son, Sebastian, who attends college during the week and comes home on weekends. The entrance of our home and my studio is welcoming, with warm colours and a glossy burgundy red on the panelling that matches perfectly with the floor rugs, which belonged to my mother. It was my aim to create an environment that would convey a combination of my mother’s way of living and my own — as if you were to tie two doves together.
A few years ago, I decided to move my hatter’s shop offsite to a building in the city centre of The Hague, near Noordeinde Palace.
Now, I use that extra studio space for my Dutch Hat Academy, which I founded during the pandemic. I offer in-person workshops and online master classes, ranging from couture hats and silk flowers to fascinators. I also offer a year-long course in professional hat-making.
My studio space is also used for my Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Mad Hatter’s Dinner Party and my Mad Hatter’s Wine & Dine Lunch.
I organise these events for guests — a minimum of seven but no more than 20 — to celebrate a special occasion. Not only do guests enjoy some exquisite food, but I often regale them with my personal stories and fun anecdotes from my hat-design career.
One of the hats I’m most proud of is the one I designed for Queen Máxima (then Princess Máxima) for Queen’s Day in 2008. And my most special project was without a doubt the hat I designed for her for Ascot in 2019. I definitely consider this a “crown” on my work. I also have created hats for celebrities and politicians.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BERRY RUTJES JR.
Once I start talking about my passion for hats, I could go on and on. I believe that each of my hats emphasises the personality of the person who wears it. Whenever I design a hat for someone, it is important for me to get to know the client a little better. By becoming acquainted with the client, combined with some creative brainstorming, I am able to create the right hat, using craftsmanship, high-quality materials and perfectly matching colours.
If you have seen a handmade hat, felt it and have worn it, you will understand the difference. The fit, the quality, the durability and the look: unique! And please take “unique” literally. Do you want a hat that is lined with the fabric of your favourite blouse? It can be done. Do you want a hat in the same colour as your handbag? I can make it.
A photo of Queen Máxima wearing my hat in 2008 sits atop a cabinet in my studio. I also have a few hats on display. I like the traditional materials for hat design, such as felt, sisal, ribbon, parabuntal straw and sinamay fabric. But, also, feathers and flower decorations for the finishing touch of a hat. I RARELY work with synthetic materials!
When it comes to inspiration, I don’t look to a specific person or famous designer. I find my inspiration in different people and things around me, even outside my professional field. Purity, authenticity and expertise are very important ingredients for me and my designs. I believe that each hat should hold a “soul,” and the one who wears it should be able to feel it.
I spend a lot of time in my studio working (usually with French chansons or jazz playing in the background) and have filled the space with many things that are dear to me. I have a vintage unit in the front that is perfect for storing my favourite accessories: ribbons, ribbons and ribbons. I also have my beloved stuffed white pigeon, which I inherited from my mother. It sits on the black marble fireplace, which is one of the original features in the house. The mantle displays my mom’s antique clock collection. And it’s also where the porcelain doggie Napoleon resides. I gave him to my mom on Mother’s Day when I was a little girl.
Beside the fireplace, I have a traditional sewing machine for making classic straw hats. I use a very special and traditional technique that is not used much in Europe anymore. It produces a very special stitch and helps me create unique hats. It sits on a table that I had custom-made for the machine and the mill for holding the straw.
I also suspend teacups from the ceiling, which is a fun conversation piece, especially when I host my high teas. And I like to display my collection of antique hatpins. Hatpins are a must-have when you wear a hat! I sometimes sell old accessories along with my hats. Some of the vintage treasures end up in my shop when people contact me because they want to find a new home for some of their amazing family pieces.
When people ask me about my future plans, I tell them I have only just started! I opened my hatter’s shop over 30 years ago, and now spend a lot of time teaching others through the Dutch Hat Academy, but I still believe there are plenty of new challenges to take on. I lack no inspiration! I dream about collaborating with other designers, like Paul Smith, and/or manufacturers abroad.
As for staying in the home purchased and lovingly restored by my mother so many years ago, you never know. … Making new choices is part of my life and I am always open to new challenges. It’s like the branches of a tree that bend with a storm: If they don’t bend, they break.
The building where I live and work was purchased by my mother in 1970 when she was only 23 years old. Or maybe “saved” is a better word: It had been abandoned for 10 years and nobody wanted to buy it. It had no central heating, was generally in a state of disrepair — and the garden had been completely neglected for decades.
But my mom saw the potential and decided to take on this immense project. To create an additional source of income, she decided to rent out some rooms and started a nursery on the ground floor, which was quite an eccentric project in those days. Every time a tenant moved out of the house, she would take the opportunity to renovate the now-available room and add it to our own living space. And this is how our house got bigger and bigger.
During this gradual, yearslong renovation, my mother encountered a variety of unexpected (yet pleasant!) surprises, including the original wooden floors and floor tiles, and the black marble fireplaces on the ground floor and in the master bedroom on the second floor.
I moved out when I became a young woman and started my own life. I inherited my mom’s creative genes and decided to study fashion, graduating with a degree from a university in The Hague. After that, I took summer courses for four years at the London College of Fashion.
After college, I began working with my mom at De Spiegeltent, a traditional music and dance theatre established in 1912, located down the road from our home. My mother had turned it into a successful business and today it is still in the family, run by my brother.
In 1990, at 23, I started designing my own hats and renting them out for the special events that took place at De Spiegeltent. I also started organising events with hats playing a main role. In addition to hats, I designed a few special garments and clothing for De Spiegeltent.
I loved the creative challenges of this early time in my career, but longed to be back in The Hague, so I returned. This was when I decided to start focusing on hat design exclusively. My designs were no longer connected to De Spiegeltent and I began working with private clients and doing commission work.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BERRY RUTJES JR.
Since the Netherlands does not hold a very strong culture for hat design, I started teaching courses, both locally and abroad. I really enjoyed this period, because I was facing so many new challenges and growing creatively with each new project.
When my mom passed away in 2009, I decided to move back into my childhood house. I had very fond memories of this place and had a very special connection with my mother. So, moving back to Gouda was very nostalgic for me. And, of course, because the house is a monument, it’s a very special environment for living and working.
I’m passionate about fencing and tap dancing and I stack my shoes and equipment on the rack in the hallway, along with shoes that belonged to my mom. It’s a way for me to combine the past with the present. On the wall, there’s a black and white photo of my mom and me, when I was a little girl.
When I moved in, I changed the colours of the walls on the ground floor and created a hatter’s shop on the street side of the ground floor. The front room and the former laundry room became my atelier. And, finally, I simply personalised my mother’s house by decorating it with my own belongings.
Today, I share the home with my husband, Frans, and my son, Sebastian, who attends college during the week and comes home on weekends. The entrance of our home and my studio is welcoming, with warm colours and a glossy burgundy red on the panelling that matches perfectly with the floor rugs, which belonged to my mother. It was my aim to create an environment that would convey a combination of my mother’s way of living and my own — as if you were to tie two doves together.
A few years ago, I decided to move my hatter’s shop offsite to a building in the city centre of The Hague, near Noordeinde Palace.
Now, I use that extra studio space for my Dutch Hat Academy, which I founded during the pandemic. I offer in-person workshops and online master classes, ranging from couture hats and silk flowers to fascinators. I also offer a year-long course in professional hat-making.
My studio space is also used for my Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Mad Hatter’s Dinner Party and my Mad Hatter’s Wine & Dine Lunch.
I organise these events for guests — a minimum of seven but no more than 20 — to celebrate a special occasion. Not only do guests enjoy some exquisite food, but I often regale them with my personal stories and fun anecdotes from my hat-design career.
One of the hats I’m most proud of is the one I designed for Queen Máxima (then Princess Máxima) for Queen’s Day in 2008. And my most special project was without a doubt the hat I designed for her for Ascot in 2019. I definitely consider this a “crown” on my work. I also have created hats for celebrities and politicians.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BERRY RUTJES JR.
Once I start talking about my passion for hats, I could go on and on. I believe that each of my hats emphasises the personality of the person who wears it. Whenever I design a hat for someone, it is important for me to get to know the client a little better. By becoming acquainted with the client, combined with some creative brainstorming, I am able to create the right hat, using craftsmanship, high-quality materials and perfectly matching colours.
If you have seen a handmade hat, felt it and have worn it, you will understand the difference. The fit, the quality, the durability and the look: unique! And please take “unique” literally. Do you want a hat that is lined with the fabric of your favourite blouse? It can be done. Do you want a hat in the same colour as your handbag? I can make it.
A photo of Queen Máxima wearing my hat in 2008 sits atop a cabinet in my studio. I also have a few hats on display. I like the traditional materials for hat design, such as felt, sisal, ribbon, parabuntal straw and sinamay fabric. But, also, feathers and flower decorations for the finishing touch of a hat. I RARELY work with synthetic materials!
When it comes to inspiration, I don’t look to a specific person or famous designer. I find my inspiration in different people and things around me, even outside my professional field. Purity, authenticity and expertise are very important ingredients for me and my designs. I believe that each hat should hold a “soul,” and the one who wears it should be able to feel it.
I spend a lot of time in my studio working (usually with French chansons or jazz playing in the background) and have filled the space with many things that are dear to me. I have a vintage unit in the front that is perfect for storing my favourite accessories: ribbons, ribbons and ribbons. I also have my beloved stuffed white pigeon, which I inherited from my mother. It sits on the black marble fireplace, which is one of the original features in the house. The mantle displays my mom’s antique clock collection. And it’s also where the porcelain doggie Napoleon resides. I gave him to my mom on Mother’s Day when I was a little girl.
Beside the fireplace, I have a traditional sewing machine for making classic straw hats. I use a very special and traditional technique that is not used much in Europe anymore. It produces a very special stitch and helps me create unique hats. It sits on a table that I had custom-made for the machine and the mill for holding the straw.
I also suspend teacups from the ceiling, which is a fun conversation piece, especially when I host my high teas. And I like to display my collection of antique hatpins. Hatpins are a must-have when you wear a hat! I sometimes sell old accessories along with my hats. Some of the vintage treasures end up in my shop when people contact me because they want to find a new home for some of their amazing family pieces.
When people ask me about my future plans, I tell them I have only just started! I opened my hatter’s shop over 30 years ago, and now spend a lot of time teaching others through the Dutch Hat Academy, but I still believe there are plenty of new challenges to take on. I lack no inspiration! I dream about collaborating with other designers, like Paul Smith, and/or manufacturers abroad.
As for staying in the home purchased and lovingly restored by my mother so many years ago, you never know. … Making new choices is part of my life and I am always open to new challenges. It’s like the branches of a tree that bend with a storm: If they don’t bend, they break.
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The building where I live and work was purchased by my mother in 1970 when she was only 23 years old. Or maybe “saved” is a better word: It had been abandoned for 10 years and nobody wanted to buy it. It had no central heating, was generally in a state of disrepair — and the garden had been completely neglected for decades.
But my mom saw the potential and decided to take on this immense project. To create an additional source of income, she decided to rent out some rooms and started a nursery on the ground floor, which was quite an eccentric project in those days. Every time a tenant moved out of the house, she would take the opportunity to renovate the now-available room and add it to our own living space. And this is how our house got bigger and bigger.
During this gradual, yearslong renovation, my mother encountered a variety of unexpected (yet pleasant!) surprises, including the original wooden floors and floor tiles, and the black marble fireplaces on the ground floor and in the master bedroom on the second floor.
I moved out when I became a young woman and started my own life. I inherited my mom’s creative genes and decided to study fashion, graduating with a degree from a university in The Hague. After that, I took summer courses for four years at the London College of Fashion.
After college, I began working with my mom at De Spiegeltent, a traditional music and dance theatre established in 1912, located down the road from our home. My mother had turned it into a successful business and today it is still in the family, run by my brother.
In 1990, at 23, I started designing my own hats and renting them out for the special events that took place at De Spiegeltent. I also started organising events with hats playing a main role. In addition to hats, I designed a few special garments and clothing for De Spiegeltent.
I loved the creative challenges of this early time in my career, but longed to be back in The Hague, so I returned. This was when I decided to start focusing on hat design exclusively. My designs were no longer connected to De Spiegeltent and I began working with private clients and doing commission work.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BERRY RUTJES JR.
Since the Netherlands does not hold a very strong culture for hat design, I started teaching courses, both locally and abroad. I really enjoyed this period, because I was facing so many new challenges and growing creatively with each new project.
When my mom passed away in 2009, I decided to move back into my childhood house. I had very fond memories of this place and had a very special connection with my mother. So, moving back to Gouda was very nostalgic for me. And, of course, because the house is a monument, it’s a very special environment for living and working.
I’m passionate about fencing and tap dancing and I stack my shoes and equipment on the rack in the hallway, along with shoes that belonged to my mom. It’s a way for me to combine the past with the present. On the wall, there’s a black and white photo of my mom and me, when I was a little girl.
When I moved in, I changed the colours of the walls on the ground floor and created a hatter’s shop on the street side of the ground floor. The front room and the former laundry room became my atelier. And, finally, I simply personalised my mother’s house by decorating it with my own belongings.
Today, I share the home with my husband, Frans, and my son, Sebastian, who attends college during the week and comes home on weekends. The entrance of our home and my studio is welcoming, with warm colours and a glossy burgundy red on the panelling that matches perfectly with the floor rugs, which belonged to my mother. It was my aim to create an environment that would convey a combination of my mother’s way of living and my own — as if you were to tie two doves together.
A few years ago, I decided to move my hatter’s shop offsite to a building in the city centre of The Hague, near Noordeinde Palace.
Now, I use that extra studio space for my Dutch Hat Academy, which I founded during the pandemic. I offer in-person workshops and online master classes, ranging from couture hats and silk flowers to fascinators. I also offer a year-long course in professional hat-making.
My studio space is also used for my Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Mad Hatter’s Dinner Party and my Mad Hatter’s Wine & Dine Lunch.
I organise these events for guests — a minimum of seven but no more than 20 — to celebrate a special occasion. Not only do guests enjoy some exquisite food, but I often regale them with my personal stories and fun anecdotes from my hat-design career.
One of the hats I’m most proud of is the one I designed for Queen Máxima (then Princess Máxima) for Queen’s Day in 2008. And my most special project was without a doubt the hat I designed for her for Ascot in 2019. I definitely consider this a “crown” on my work. I also have created hats for celebrities and politicians.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BERRY RUTJES JR.
Once I start talking about my passion for hats, I could go on and on. I believe that each of my hats emphasises the personality of the person who wears it. Whenever I design a hat for someone, it is important for me to get to know the client a little better. By becoming acquainted with the client, combined with some creative brainstorming, I am able to create the right hat, using craftsmanship, high-quality materials and perfectly matching colours.
If you have seen a handmade hat, felt it and have worn it, you will understand the difference. The fit, the quality, the durability and the look: unique! And please take “unique” literally. Do you want a hat that is lined with the fabric of your favourite blouse? It can be done. Do you want a hat in the same colour as your handbag? I can make it.
A photo of Queen Máxima wearing my hat in 2008 sits atop a cabinet in my studio. I also have a few hats on display. I like the traditional materials for hat design, such as felt, sisal, ribbon, parabuntal straw and sinamay fabric. But, also, feathers and flower decorations for the finishing touch of a hat. I RARELY work with synthetic materials!
When it comes to inspiration, I don’t look to a specific person or famous designer. I find my inspiration in different people and things around me, even outside my professional field. Purity, authenticity and expertise are very important ingredients for me and my designs. I believe that each hat should hold a “soul,” and the one who wears it should be able to feel it.
I spend a lot of time in my studio working (usually with French chansons or jazz playing in the background) and have filled the space with many things that are dear to me. I have a vintage unit in the front that is perfect for storing my favourite accessories: ribbons, ribbons and ribbons. I also have my beloved stuffed white pigeon, which I inherited from my mother. It sits on the black marble fireplace, which is one of the original features in the house. The mantle displays my mom’s antique clock collection. And it’s also where the porcelain doggie Napoleon resides. I gave him to my mom on Mother’s Day when I was a little girl.
Beside the fireplace, I have a traditional sewing machine for making classic straw hats. I use a very special and traditional technique that is not used much in Europe anymore. It produces a very special stitch and helps me create unique hats. It sits on a table that I had custom-made for the machine and the mill for holding the straw.
I also suspend teacups from the ceiling, which is a fun conversation piece, especially when I host my high teas. And I like to display my collection of antique hatpins. Hatpins are a must-have when you wear a hat! I sometimes sell old accessories along with my hats. Some of the vintage treasures end up in my shop when people contact me because they want to find a new home for some of their amazing family pieces.
When people ask me about my future plans, I tell them I have only just started! I opened my hatter’s shop over 30 years ago, and now spend a lot of time teaching others through the Dutch Hat Academy, but I still believe there are plenty of new challenges to take on. I lack no inspiration! I dream about collaborating with other designers, like Paul Smith, and/or manufacturers abroad.
As for staying in the home purchased and lovingly restored by my mother so many years ago, you never know. … Making new choices is part of my life and I am always open to new challenges. It’s like the branches of a tree that bend with a storm: If they don’t bend, they break.
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