Philippe Model was born in Sens, France in 1956. In 1978, he left school and started his business to make hats for Haute Couture designers.
His hats were admired right from the start, and shortly after starting up, he was awarded the title "Meilleur ouvrier de France" (finest craftsman in France) a coveted prize for excellence which dates back to the Middle Ages.
In 1984 he moved to the heart of fashion, opening his boutique in Paris, supplying hats to such designers as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Issey Miyake, Claude Montana and Thierry Mugler, for whom he accessorized avant-garde collections. His line of gloves, shoes and other accessories was called Parallel.
Complex hats such as this sculpted headpiece formed from interwoven red velvet segments, have put Philippe Model at the forefront of French hat design.