Denise Lambert has started her own millinery business at the age of 66. Here, the great-grandmother explains how being creative has provided comfort since losing her daughter, Sadie almost two years ago
Denise Lambert never imagined that she would start her own millinery business at the age of 66. And yet last month she launched Denise Lambert Millinery: complete with four distinct collections inspired by nature, music, colour and timeless elegance. Speaking at her home at Morley Hall, near Wymondham, she says: “I’ve always been creative and, in the past, if I’ve bought a fascinator or a hat, I’ve ended up changing it or adding to it – I’m never satisfied. This summer I was creating some pieces for my granddaughters and daughter-in-law for Ladies Day at Newmarket. During the process of making these fascinators I was just losing myself in my own little bubble, and I just started creating from there. I thought ‘I don’t want to start a business; I’m 66 and I get my pension’, but that’s what I have done.”
There is a deeply personal reason why Denise would want to lose herself in her work, as she explains: “Unfortunately, I lost my daughter in November 2024 to Motor Neurone Disease and since losing her I think it’s good to have something that takes my mind off things. When I’m creating, I’m in my own little happy place.”
Sadie – one of Denise’s five children – was diagnosed with MND in July 2020 and passed away four years later, at the age of 45. “It’s an awful disease,” says Denise, who is not the only member of the family to find solace by going down the creative route over the last couple of years.
“One of my sons has taken the same route as me,” says Denise. Liam Lambert started Sadie-Leigh memorial jewellery in memory of his sister, incorporating cremation ashes, hair, fingerprints, or custom handwriting into handcrafted memorial rings. Denise wears two of his rings. “I’ve got my daughter’s ashes in one and her hair in another. I’m just doing the one thing but he’s running a business and then doing this bespoke jewellery.”
Denise, who has 18 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, started making hats, in earnest, in May, transforming one of the bedrooms at home into a spacious workshop. “Sometimes I’m in here until 2 o’clock in the morning.
“Within about five weeks I’d made a few hats, and it just escalated from there. I find it comforting,” she says. “When Sadie first passed away, I was gaming online. I was just fixating on something – I think it was a coping mechanism.”
In the last few months, Denise has made around 60 hats. Her collections include the Enchanted Collection, inspired by birds, butterflies and flowers; the Symphony Collection, inspired by music (“Sadie used to love music and played the piano”); the Vibrance Collection, for bold, statement pieces; and the self-explanatory Timeless Elegance Collection.
Every hat is lined with silk, cashmere, or fine wool, and nestled inside each piece is a small vintage brass motif, a discreet signature that reflects Denise’s love of history and craftsmanship. She juggles her work with looking after three-year-old twins. “They were heaven-sent,” says Denise. “When Sadie was diagnosed, my daughter Georgia fell pregnant.”
She says of becoming a milliner: “I don’t know why I didn’t consider it before – considering how much I enjoy it. This is where I feel Sadie is behind me because I would never have considered doing it before.”
Sadie continues to be a source of inspiration. “She always used to say, ‘less is more, mother,’ so under my logo I’ve got ‘Less is More’.” And Denise reminds herself of that saying whenever she’s about to add an extra something or other to one of her creations. “Sadie knew I was OTT.
“I do think of her every time I add an adornment to my hats. I feel that she is encouraging me to do this as she knew how much I would love it.”
Visit Denise Lambert millinery. Also, visit Sadie-Leigh Memorial Jewellery.
Featured image of Denise Lambert – by Folk Features
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