Paris: Hatmaking Workshop with Lady Gaga’s Designer

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.66 (103 reviews) 83% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/8

Duration3h

GroupUp to 10

LanguagesEN · FR

Mobile ticketAccepted

Paris hat workshop create your own designer piece with expert

You’ll step into a real Parisian atelier and shape your own hat from scratch with guidance from Lady Gaga’s milliner. Pick your favorite material and color, work hands-on with traditional tools, then decorate your creation from hundreds of unique accessories. Enjoy coffee or tea as you chat with locals and leave not just with a hat but a story you’ll want to tell.

Step-by-step itinerary

Create a unique hat with expert guidance

Choose material for your hat
Define wood block shape
Learn traditional hatmaking process
Bake hat in oven
Decorate your hat with accessories

The Experience

I’ll admit I signed up for the Paris hatmaking workshop mostly out of curiosity — and maybe because I’d heard Lady Gaga wore hats from this very place. Walking into the MiniMeParis studio, it smelled faintly of steamed wool and strong coffee. Our guide, Benoît, had that easy French charm and a way of making even my clumsy questions about felt seem perfectly normal. There were rows of wooden blocks stacked on shelves, each one promising a different shape — fedoras, canotiers, even those big floppy ones you see in old movies.

Choosing the material was harder than I expected. There were piles of merinos wool felt and rabbit felt in colors I didn’t know existed (I went for a weird mustard yellow — still not sure why). The process was hands-on from the start; we stretched and pinned the felt over these heavy wooden molds while Benoît showed us how to use steam to soften everything up. At one point he laughed when I tried to pronounce “capeline” — apparently my accent is tragic. The whole room was full of little sounds: hissing steam, people chatting in French and English, someone’s phone buzzing quietly in a corner.

The best part was decorating — honestly, there are so many accessories it gets overwhelming. Scarves, chains, embroidered patches… I spent ages just running my fingers through trays of buttons before finally picking a blue ribbon with tiny silver charms. My hands smelled like warm wool and metal by the end. We drank tea while waiting for our hats to “bake” in this old oven (yes, really), swapping stories about Paris neighborhoods with Benoît and his team. They sent us off with a list of their favorite local spots — I still have it tucked in my bag somewhere.

What’s included

Your day includes all materials to make your own hat (standard merinos wool felt or straw), plenty of decorative accessories worth €10 to personalize it however you like, plus bottled water and fresh coffee or tea served right there in the atelier before you leave with your finished piece.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot for back problems

Operated by MiniMeParis Experiences