Highgrove Visor bonnet-style hats become available for purchase at the King's store

Bristol Designer's Sustainable Visor Inspired by Bridgerton-Era Bonnet Goes on Sale at Highgrove

Emily Hurst, a 23-year-old milliner from Bristol, has made waves in the fashion industry with her innovative design, the Highgrove Visor. Hurst, the winner of this year's Emerging Talent Award at the King's Foundation Awards, created the visor as part of the Chanel and The King's Foundation Metiers d'Art Millinery Fellowship.

Hurst's inspiration for the Highgrove Visor came from an 1820s-style Bridgerton-era bonnet she made during a university placement. The visor, with its timeless silhouette, has been transformed into a chic, modern accessory, crafted with sustainability at its core.

The base of the Highgrove Visor is made from t'nalak, a banana fibre textile handwoven by the T'boli people of the Philippines. The visor also features the endangered traditional craft of straw plaiting. The handmade visor boasts a curved shape, a large dark green silky bow at the back, and is priced at £475.

The Highgrove Visor is one of 15 limited edition pieces and will be on sale in the Highgrove Shop and on the Highgrove website from 9.30am on Friday. The visor's sale marks a full circle moment for Hurst as she studied at Highgrove with The King's Foundation.

Daniel McAuliffe, education director at The King's Foundation, is pleased to have Hurst working on this professional commission. The intensive 35-week Chanel training programme, based at Highgrove, aims to develop a network of young specialist milliners in the UK with the support of Parisian hat-maker Maison Michel at le19M.

Hurst's love of hats began with her original patterns, which are evident in her final collection for the Chanel and King's Foundation fellowship. The milliner, who was presented with her accolade by the now-Sir David Beckham, was also the first recipient of a £10,000 bursary from Royal Ascot designed to nurture the next generation of hat-makers.

The Highgrove Visor is part of The King's Foundation's wider work inspired by Charles's passion for protecting traditional heritage skills. However, the name of the milliner hired specifically for the sale of the Highgrove Visor at the King's country estate session is not publicly available.

Despite being set in Georgian times, the Netflix drama Bridgerton featured hats but not traditional bonnets in its costumes. Hurst's Highgrove Visor, with its nod to the past and its contemporary twist, is a testament to the enduring appeal of traditional craftsmanship and innovative design.