Lydia Wall
Lydia began attending a Millinery class at London’s Skylight Centre run by homeless charity, Crisis, in 2007 and began to show a natural affinity for hat making, despite also dealing with her homeless situation. Lydia gained confidence from the course and produced an impressive portfolio of hats meaning she gained a muchsought- after place at Kensington and Chelsea College to study HNC Millinery in 2008. Lydia achieved the HNC a year later and continued to attend classes at Crisis, inspiring class members to aim higher. Lydia’s qualification then helped her gain a year’s work at Philip Treacy Millinery and she started her own millinery business in April 2011.
Lydia has now secured a home and has her own studio space at Bow Art Trust in London, allowing her to develop her business. Lydia ended: “The education I completed opened new horizons for me and I am very excited and happy that I am doing something that I love.”