ABSTRACT
The twenty-first century is an era where mass production and inexpensive labour costs in developing countries have overwhelmed and perhaps consumed the manufacturing sector of the fashion industry. Many products are now sourced off-shore from countries in South-East Asia, predominately China (Kellock 2010). These developments in production have contributed to the demise of certain sectors of the fashion industry (Safa 1981; Wark 1991). Couture millinery is one such sector that has declined gradually over the last 60 years. The declining acceptance of hats and the changes in modern manufacturing techniques have seemingly placed hats of any kind as fashion accessories of the past, unless they are being worn for practicality; protecting the wearer from the harsh and unkind weather conditions (Cullen 2008).
