101 Hats

Jeffrey Sun entered the hat industry in 1988, founded his company in 1996, and began collecting hats in 2006 upon a friend’s suggestion. In 2019, he officially established the hat museum, which now houses nearly 7,000 hat-related artifacts. In 2023, he launched the "101 Designers Hat Collection" project. Despite initial challenges in soliciting contributions, the project was completed after nearly two years with support from renowned international designers such as Stephen Jones and many others. Born in Cheshire, schooled in Liverpool, Stephen Jones rose in London’s fashion scene amid late-’70s street style. A Central Saint Martins’ student by day, he became a Blitz nightclub style icon by night, wearing his own striking hats. In 1980, his first Covent Garden millinery salon drew the rich and famous, from rock stars to royalty (Boy George and Princess Diana included) for headline-making designs. He modernized millinery with bold materials and diverse, mood-capturing creations. Four decades on, his edge still attracts A-listers, such as Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Mick Jagger and present-day royalty. Collaborations span Vivienne Westwood and Claude Montana to Thom Browne and Christian Dior, with his hats central to iconic runways. Today, his boutique, studio and workroom occupy a Georgian townhouse near his first salon, alongside mainline Model Millinery and diffusion lines Miss Jones and JonesBoy. In 2009, his V&A exhibition Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones broke records; his work resides in NYC’s Met and Paris’s Louvre. Still at fashion’s forefront, his hats grace covers, store windows and elevate moments from runways to royal events – punctuating every fashion statement.