You studied millinery?
I learned to design and make hats under the tutelage of master milliner Ann Albrizio at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Studying pattern making and sewing enabled me to master techniques that I continue to employ in my work today:
- interpreting design concepts and instructions
- arranging and organizing shapes into patterns and systems
- making iterative adjustments
- checking accuracy
- maintaining design integrity
You ran a hat factory?
In addition to design, for which I received the Earnie Award from Earnshaw’s Magazine and the Childrenswear Manufacturers Association, I ran a hat factory and was responsible for:
- patternmaking
- factory operations
- inventory management
- staff supervision
- advertising and marketing
- web site development and maintenance
- database management
- licensing
Where were your hats sold?
Initially, Abbe Gale Hats were sold exclusively in better boutiques, department stores, and specialty catalogs in the United States and Canada.
As their popularity grew, the hats were sold directly to consumers via catalog and internet.
What happened to the business?
With the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), it became harder to profitably manufacture products in the United States. After ten years, I closed the business and liquidated the hat factory.
Many of the hat patterns were donated to the Fashion Institute of Technology Millinery Program. Others were licensed to The McCall Pattern Company, and can still be found on various sewing web sites to this day.
