Hats off to Biloxi milliner who's reviving a lost art
The art of millinery, lost for decades in the ever-evolving world of fashion, is being revived by Biloxi artist and entrepreneur Jerika Broussard.
She found inspiration in eras past for creating one-of-a-kind pillbox-style hats and headpieces called fascinators. Her vision and tenacity drove her to open Prima Donna Boutique at 134 Rue Magnolia St. in downtown Biloxi, where she displays and sells her creations.
Before launching Prima Donna in 2012, Broussard was an art student at the University of Mississippi. She struggled with ideas for her senior thesis until she got a phone call from her mother saying her grandfather was in the hospital for cancer treatment.
A way to help others
"My mother called me from MD Anderson (Cancer Center) in Houston and told me that she had seen a lady sitting in the corner who was going through treatment just kind of hiding her head. Your hair is your vanity, your sex appeal, your womanhood. When you go to the salon for a cut and color, you're cautious about it. I can only imagine the way you feel when you are bald from an illness.
"Mom was like, 'Why don't you make hats for cancer patients?' and that's where it started," Broussard said. She'd also found her inspiration for her senior thesis.
She named the label Alter Ego and created nearly 250 pieces for the collection. The task took almost two years. Broussard could spend eight to 12 hours making just one hat.
"I came up with Alter Ego to portray that you can alter your state of perception and for a woman who wears many hats and likes to switch it up," she said.
Knowing nothing about millinery, she found a woman in New Orleans who still practiced hat making, and approached her about lessons. Broussard acquired the necessary tools and learned the basics.
Creating a hat
Her process begins with a hat pattern. The base of the hat is made from starched buckram that acts as the skull foundation. Wire is used to give structure. For a pillbox -- popular because of their elegant
simplicity and made famous by fashion icons Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn and Princess Diana -- Broussard cuts an oval or a circle hand stitched together to make the shape.
She experimented with styles and textiles. For her fabrics, she used clothing found at thrift stores.
"Mom used to take us antique shopping all the time as a kids and dragged me all over town," she said. "It just kind of stuck with me and now that I'm older, I have this love and appreciation for old things. I just feel like I'm an old soul."
Broussard saved embellishments from sweaters to reuse.
"I saved old furs from my closet and storage that have dry rotted, then upcycled them and reworked it as a hat," she said. She also shopped at fabric stores, combining modern and retro textiles and added brooches to complete the looks. Many of her hats feature hand-sewn appliques.
Along with trinkets, gold jewelry and sequin dresses at Prima Donna is an array of hats from her Alter Ego collection. Broussard sold nearly all of the cloches, facinators and pillbox hats made for her senior thesis. Last year, she also launched her website, featuring modern designs with a vintage twist.
This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 7:50 PM with the headline "Hats off to Biloxi milliner who's reviving a lost art ."