‘We were asked to do Nelson’s hat because we actually made a hat for Nelson about two hundred years ago which now presides on his effigy in Westminster Abbey. So I think Nelson was a great choice as we have such a library of enigmatic and varied customers who have come through Locks over the many years that its fantastic to be able to celebrate them in really quite a novel new way. The idea behind the design was to pay homage to the hat we originally made for him but with a large nod to the Olympics and make it a bit light hearted, as it is an enormous hat of course.’
‘The hat was designed by our head milliner Sylvia Fletcher and is made from very special light reflecting fabric and it actually pulls over Nelson’s original hat. The brocade is also made from an actual Olympic torch and there’s thick rope which light reflecting thread was wound around to make sure it completely visible at night.’
Noel Stewart on Beau Brummell
‘It took a few weeks to make as the original hat had to be laser measured then an actual size model of Nelson’s head was made which we fit the hat for, after that various strange and wonderful things had to be done such as the hat being sent to be tested in a wind tunnel, the lightening rod atop Nelson being extended and the whole thing tested to make sure it is completely fire proof, just in case the whole thing gets hit by lightning!’
Piers Atkinson on Francis Duke of Bedford