Ellie Jian

Ellie Ayati-Jian burst onto the East Coast fashion scene with a surprising first-place win at the New York Belmont Stakes Fashion Contest for her inaugural custom hat. The Belmont, an annual horse race akin to Churchill Downs or, more affectionately, the Kentucky Derby, is as renowned for its fashion spectacle as it is for its thoroughbreds. Prompted on a whim by a friend to create a hat for the occasion, Ellie drew upon her years as an architect and interior designer. The custom piece she crafted bowled over the well-heeled crowd, leaving her stunned and victorious. The experience also ignited a creative spark that had lain dormant, permanently hooking her on millinery.

A native of Iran, Ellie originally trained in Architecture, earning a Master’s degree from the University of Western Australia. After several years as a practicing architect and interior designer, the success and attention garnered by her handmade hats prompted a shift in focus, to fashion. The budding designer enrolled in a millinery course at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, honing her skills as a hat maker. A wedding and a subsequent move to Boston offered her the opportunity to take stock and start fresh, motivating her to open Ellie Jian Millinery in Newton, Massachusetts.

Studying the Then and Now
Ellie’s business took off almost immediately, leading to invitations to join The Milliners Guild and the British Millinery Association – professional organizations that support milliners globally. Through her membership, she discovered a community of creatively minded artists whose work in hat making was both inspiring and stimulating. These professionally connected communities engage mostly online, frequently challenging one another in friendly competitions to create new work rooted in the history of millinery. When Ellie pulled out her “beehive hat” for me to look at, I instantly recognized her inspiration: the infamous mid-century milliner Benjamin Green-Field, better known as Bes-Ben. Green-Field was celebrated for his whimsical, over-the-top creations, beloved by women across America. The competition, titled “Humor and High Design,” couldn’t have been a more apropos homage to Green-Field’s own approach to fashion and hat design. Ellie studied Bes-Ben’s works in museum collections nationwide, aiming to emulate his look while employing contemporary techniques. “I was inspired by his commitment to break the boundaries of traditional materials and the hat shapes of his era,” Ellie explained. She combined two perennial hallmarks of Bes-Ben’s designs: the spiral and the use of miniature plush velvet bees. To create her hat, Ellie taught herself 3D printing, producing a one-of-a-kind shape for her version of Ben’s spiral. She then meticulously filled in the shape by hand using modeled fabric, pearls, and plush bees, strategically placing them along the “honeycomb.” The artist didn’t win this particular competition, judged by celebrated British milliner Stephen Jones, but in the end, that didn’t quite matter. She had challenged herself to do something different, and it seems that for Ellie, that is what lies at the heart of her practice.

Old School Meets New School
Ellie is an old-school designer with a new-school viewpoint. She doesn’t let her artistry and desire for creative expression outpace her practical business sense. While she specializes in custom avant-garde designs, Ellie has found great success in topping the heads of some of New England’s most fashionable at events like the Boston Emerald Necklace’s high-profile annual fundraiser, Party in the Park. As I explored her website to learn more about her brand, I was struck by her astute business acumen. One simple yet effective aspect of her operation that immediately caught my eye was her rental page. How smart! Of course, not everyone wants to invest in buying a hat for those one-off occasions like an annual fundraiser, but they still want to look and feel elevated. Ellie provides the perfect solution: rent a chapeau, look like a million bucks, and then return it when you’re done. The photographs capture the moment, but one doesn’t have to sacrifice closet space to house the hat permanently. As we looked through Ellie’s more wearable hats together, I was also struck by how stable and comfortable they are. She frequently serves as her own fit model, so she knows from personal experience if a hat is too heavy or might pull on your hair uncomfortably. As an artist who clearly enjoys experimenting and pushing creative boundaries, her approach to both her craft and her business remains sensitive to her clients and their needs. Her work occupies a unique space in contemporary millinery. The hats are statement pieces, balancing the line between subtle and sexy, quiet and bold, wearable and sculptural. The next time you’re out and about, look around. If you see someone wearing a fabulous fascinator or hat, ask them who made it. My money is on Ellie Ayati-Jian.