The CHANEL & The King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Millinery Fellowship in Partnership with Le19M.

The Métiers d’art Millinery Fellowship has been created to preserve the skill and savoir faire of millinery artisans and to share this knowledge through an intensive educational programme.

After the successful development of the Chanel and King’s Foundation Embroidery Fellowship, we are now pleased to announce this new 35-week programme starting in September 2024. The Métiers d’art Millinery Fellowship supports craftsmanship through the practice and development of skills and innovation in the search for excellence.

About the programme

The Fellowship is a two-centre based programme in Highgrove Gloucestershire and Trinity Buoy Wharf in London's Docklands. Through the generosity of our partner, this programme is fully funded, to include tuition, accommodation at Highgrove and London, materials, travel to Paris and *accommodation, graduation celebration and exhibition. In addition, students will be awarded a bursary of £1500 per month towards the cost of living.

The Millinery Fellowship is designed promote the skill and craftmanship of Hat making and Millinery utilising the expertise of The King’s Foundation paradigm of educational delivery. The partnership will capitalise on the savoir-faire of Maison Michel at le19M and explore the creative interface between skills, materials, making and design.

Teaching and learning

The fellowship is studio based and we require students to have a collaborative approach to teaching and learning. We encourage students to be in The CHANEL Métiers d’Arts Training Atelier at Highgrove and Trinity Buoy Wharf in London's Docklands, undertaking course activities and research with dedication and commitment. As this is a fully funded postgraduate level programme, provided through the generosity of our partnership with CHANEL, we have high expectations of studentship, studio etiquette, productivity and outcomes.

Taught sessions will encourage students to develop their own learning style, create new ideas and learn specialist techniques, as well as featuring group discussions and tutorials. Peer-on-peer support and a positive, collective learning experience are essential requirements of fellowship students.

The course has been developed in partnership with CHANEL and Le 19M to reflect a ‘real-world’ studio culture and expectations. Students will be given the opportunity to reflect upon gained knowledge and skill training during personal tutorial sessions. We encourage students to reflect on their achievements and performance through on-going personal evaluation.

Tutorials, critiques and/or work reviews form an integral part of the programme, and students will see a variety of guest tutors throughout the 35 weeks. Students will be supported by Jamilla Ives, the Curriculum Coordinator, throughout the duration of the programme.

Self-directed sessions are allocated throughout the programme and should be used accordingly. Students are encouraged to prioritise and time-manage their own learning schedule around the timetabled Schedule.

Fellowship structure

In view of the foundational skills required, the Fellowship will be 35 weeks long and include an industry placement of 2 weeks in the UK, thus enabling students to gain the skill and confidence required to enter industry. The Fellowship will run for 24 weeks at The CHANEL Métiers d’art Training Atelier at Highgrove, and for 11 weeks at The King’s Foundation at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London. Throughout the Fellowship, students will have Progression Reviews and Design Mentoring in various forms and sources, to monitor and ensure progression.

Phase 1: Highgrove

Phase 1 is 12 weeks long and will start with 1 week a Maison Michel, including a visit to the Patrimoine. This will be followed by intensive technical training for 8 weeks in the foundational skills acquired at Maison Michel.

Each foundational skill will be taught by an expert in their field. During this phase, students will contextualise millinery in fashion through a visit to the V&A and access to the Royal Hat Collection.

Technical Design Briefs will be set every 2 weeks, where students will present outcomes demonstrating ability and skill during Design Brief Presentation.

After the 8 weeks of foundational skills, students will select areas to specialise in for Skill Refinement, for the remaining 4 weeks.

Phase 2: Highgrove

Phase 2 will be 12 weeks long and focus on Design Testing and Couture Finishes. The students will be set the Design Brief at the start of Phase 2.

In week 16, students will break for 3 weeks for Christmas but will be expected to work on designs (drawn) for their final collection. In week 20, students will visit le19M for Atelier Immersion.

Throughout Phase 2, students will be supported through Progress Reviews and Design Mentoring, ensuring they are improving with skills attainment and design concepts. At the end of week 24, students will have a Formal Design Presentation Artistic Director of Maison Michel, a representative from CHANEL UK and the Education Director. Feedback will be given before students embark on Phase 3 and the Final Collection.

Phase 3: Trinity Buoy Wharf London

Phase 3 will be 11 weeks long and be based at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London. It will include a 2-week industry work placement running 4 days per week. This will be followed by 8 intensive weeks of professional practice through the making of a final collection. At Trinity Buoy Wharf, students will have 24 hour and weekend access the studio with weekly progression tutorials and support.

Graduation and Exhibition will take place along with the Embroidery Students in July at Highgrove.

Find out more about the course, location and how to apply.

What The CHANEL & King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Fellowship includes:

• Expert tuition at Maison Michel at Le19M in Paris.
  Specialist skills training from The King’s Foundation tutors at The CHANEL Métiers d’Arts Training Atelier at Highgrove and at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London.
• The opportunity to develop a unique portfolio, designed to improve your technical dexterity, skill, accuracy and concept development.
• Garden tours, museum visits and research days, enabling students to take inspiration from the Highgrove Estate, the Royal Collection, and the Atelier archives.
• Opportunities to use innovative or unconventional materials, alongside traditional materials, as part of your concept and outcome development.
• Access to beautifully appointed studios, free materials and intensive, expert tuition by various established milliners and educators in the UK.
• Opportunities to develop your personal career plan and further refine your portfolio and presentation skills for a career within the fashion industry or as a future artisan.
• Application of millinery techniques to a professional level. Mentorships from Directors from Les Maisons d’art at Le19m, Paris.
• A bi annual exhibition to promote the outcomes from The CHANEL & The King’s Foundation Métiers d’art Fellowship, in partnership with le19M, at the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea, held in September to coincide with London Design Week, and to include educational workshops, promotional events and a private view.
• Accommodation onsite at Highgrove for £400 per month*, which includes weekly laundry and cleaning service, all utilities and Wi-Fi.
• Travel and accommodation for visits to Le19M in Paris. Access to Barley Court Farmhouse kitchen facilities, dining room and lounge.
• A bursary of £1500 per month towards the cost of living.

Locations

The programme is delivered at The CHANEL Métiers d’Arts Training Atelier at The King’s Foundation at Highgrove, in a converted 17th century house and farm buildings which sits on the edge of the Highgrove estate, home to His Majesties The King Charles III and Queen Camila. Located just a mile away from Tetbury and in beautiful Cotswold countryside, it makes for a picturesque location to escape to and focus on your work.

You can reach Highgrove by rail, the nearest station being Kemble GWR, with trains to London Paddington, Bristol, Bath and connections to the North. If you want to bring your car, there is easy access to both the M4 and the M5 and plenty of parking on site. Bristol, Gloucester and Bath are all about 40 mins drive away, whilst Birmingham is 2 hours away and London 2 ½ hours away.

During phase 3, students are located at Trinity Buoy Wharf London, benefiting from its creative and inspiring neighbours at its Thames-side location. Trinity Bu0y Wharf is a 10 minute walk from East India DLR or Canning town station.

How to apply

Deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 15th May 2024.

Applicants are required to complete a digital application form, a short video, and a digital portfolio. You can find the application form here.

What to include in your digital portfolio:

Your portfolio should include 15 – 20 pages summarising your inspiration and approach, creative process and final projects.

• Your portfolio should have a clear visual identity, informed by your design style,
• Your portfolio should include examples of your research, this can be broader than just millinery, but include Art design and fashion. Include mood boards, photography and visualisations which reveal your creative journey.
• We would like to see a combination of work in progress as well as images of final outcomes.
• Your portfolio should reflect your personality and design style. Please explain any narratives and recurrent themes in your work.
• This is a professional education programme, where developing design ideas and technical skills are integral parts of the programme. The program will be an intensive learning journey and so we also would like to understand how you problem solve. We are interested to see how your work has progressed or evolved - this can be shown through a series of prototypes or unfinished sample hats.
• Please annotate your images to explain your work, share inspiration and information.

Short list candidates

A short list of candidates will be selected by a panel of The King’s Foundation Directors, staff and expert tutors. The short list of candidates will be shared with a panel from Maisons d’art at Le19M where candidates will be selected and called to interview. Invitation to interviews will be sent to candidates by Friday 31st May 2024.

Interviews

Interviews will be in person and take place on the 11th and 12th June 2024.

Interviews will take place at The CHANEL Métiers d’Arts Training Atelier at Highgrove in Gloucestershire. Interviews will be 40 minutes long with an opportunity for candidates to present their portfolio, have a tour of the site and accommodation and answer a set of questions. At the end of the interview, candidates will have the opportunity to ask questions about the programme.

The interview panel will consist of staff and tutors from the King’s Foundation and representatives for the Le19M in Paris.