Belfast milliner Gráinne Maher creates bespoke headwear including couture hats, fascinators, tiaras and corsages. She also makes fun stuff under the Jewelery & Accessories label Pluck & Devour. Working from her home studio at Ravenhill, Gráinne produces sophisticated pieces using classic shapes, hand-dyed feathers and antique embellishments. She also experiments with avant-garde styling and modern materials to achieve statement pieces that are not for the fainthearted.

After studying Music at Queen’s, Gráinne moved to Devon where she undertook a scholarship funded PhD researching the effect of corsetry and other body manipulating costume on the voice. This led to an increasing interest in fashion and ultimately to a period of study in Dublin on a range of millinery techniques. Having worked for many years as an artist in various disciplines; including performance art and installation, and with a background in fashion and consumer PR, Gráinne Maher brings together an array of interests and inspirations that feed her work.

She has trained in millinery techniques with world class milliner Ian Bennett, who has worked with an impressive line-up of millinery greats including Stephen Jones, Frederick Fox and the royal milliner Philip Somerville. Gráinne Maher has also studied a range of hatmaking and tiara skills with Dublin based millinery trainer Jeanette Pegley-Reed.