Rachel Le Gall is one of the rare milliners-stylists in Brittany. The art of hats, the true, the ancestral, is indeed tending to disappear. Nestled in one of the historic districts of Quimper (Finistère), Locmaria, on the banks of the Odet, she still works on lime wood molds, dating from 1930, with different head sizes. “The mold, made by a formworker, is made of basswood because it is a wood that resists humidity. We moisten the hat to shape it and adapt it to the person’s head size,” explains Rachel Le Gall.
She collaborates with big Breton names
Rachel Le Gall wanted to be a doctor, or a conductor, an actress or a dancer as a child. Hence the choice of scientific studies and then modern literature. It was while working as an assistant to a director that she met the costume designer of a theater who quickly realized her great talent and encouraged her to participate in a hat competition in Chazelles-sur-Lyon. (Loire). His path is clear. She began by creating a range of ready-to-wear hats, with an appetite for fashion from the 1930s and 1950s, then the proposals were refined.
“I like to let my imagination wander. The hat is a piece of clothing in its own right that reveals the person. It’s a fun, even therapeutic object,” smiles the milliner. She collaborates as a designer with the Henriot earthenware factories for head jewelry, thus mixing earthenware and millinery objects, as well as with Armor-lux, Pascal Jaouen, Le Minor.
Rachel Le Gall uses all the materials that can be sculpted: straws, felts, classic textile materials with original accessories. Everything inspires the artist. “Either I mold the hat, or I use the pattern making technique for cotton, silk or linen. » She creates hats, fascinators, the element of coquetry, head jewelry, caps, turbans, headbands, Borsalino. “The person, man or woman, chooses their fabric then I shape a base and put it in shape on the client. »
The milliner has a very personal technique when she is faced with “the blank page”, when she creates collections. “I combine materials, textiles, paper, in fact everything that comes to hand. I then put them together and it unleashes my imagination. »
Training to enhance creativity
In addition to creation, Rachel Le Gall also offers training. “For individuals, I called it Elegance and System D. We will make either a head jewel or a bob and I will also tell the story of the hat. » For businesses, she developed Hats off to my creativity. It’s about promoting and developing creativity within a company. Employees will adorn a hat in their image.
For these end-of-year celebrations, Rachel has created lots of head jewelry, tiara headbands, the New Year’s Eve trend. “In daily life, in 2023, it was the hat, the need for comfort. In 2024, it was the American-style cap for hiding and the turban headband of the 1920s. For 2025, it’s the big return of the hat with very natural materials. For men, it’s the Australian hat and of course the timeless cap! » Contact: 06.61.97.25.19 and her Facebook page Rachel Le Gall Modiste Stylist. https://www.facebook.com/histoiresdechapeaux?locale=fr_FR