mad hatter

A Scottish Milliner Made a Hat for His Friend’s Wedding Out of Roadkill

Aspiring fashion designer James Faulkner uses feathers and fur from roadkill to make hats. He will exhibit 36 such creations at his show in May. He began making hats less than a year ago, when a friend needed something for her wedding. From the Telegraph:


“It started when my friend wanted to buy a hat for her wedding. Without thinking, I said I’d make one, then I instantly panicked, but one day I was walking along the road and I spotted a magpie in quite a sorry state.

“I knew that my friend’s dress was black and white so I thought it could work. I picked it up using a plastic bag and later used the wing feathers to make the hat. It sounds awful, but I cut off the wings with an axe.

“When I told her it was made of roadkill she was very shocked and said she had images of maggots falling off her head, but it went down a treat at the wedding.”

He added: “The bride even mentioned it during her vows, which sounds crazy.”

Faulkner skins and plucks the animals himself, which he says helps him cope with his anxiety and depression. Who’s to say Prozac actually works, anyway?

Fashion designer turns roadkill into hats [Telegraph UK]

A Scottish Milliner Made a Hat for His Friend’s Wedding Out of Roadkill