A winning approach to millinery
- Ranelle’s custom made formal headwear is designed to turn heads
- Her pieces blend a races-ready flamboyance with sculptural appeal
- Initially self-taught, she studied with London and New York-based mentors
Ranelle Larocque is an award-winning milliner who creates bold, bespoke headpieces for special occasions. Her business began as a personal practice: unable to find headwear that suited her taste, she turned her creative skills to making her own. In 2019, her hobby blossomed into a full time business when fellow military spouses started flocking to her Instagram page to purchase her one-of-a-kind pieces. “I occasionally create traditional hats, but more often favour sculptural, racing-forward creations in the flamboyant mode seen at horse races in Britain and the Commonwealth,” she says. Ranelle’s boutique, Queen Bee Millinery, opened in 2020 and she was the official milliner for the King’s Plate horse race, Canada’s most prestigious horse race, in 2025.
Interview
- When did you first discover millinery?
- Years ago, when my husband was in the military, I attended a lot of formal functions where hats were expected. While I had an extensive collection of hats, I could not find my own personal style within it. I started researching materials and making things just for myself.
- How did you learn your craft?
- I began as a self-taught milliner and in 2020, I spent six months training remotely with Katherine Elizabeth in London. I have also studied cutting-edge modern millinery techniques with Moar Zabar, an Israeli-American designer based in New York.
- Which artistic movements or traditions do you align with?
- I trained with a British milliner and people automatically acknowledge that influence. My approach is colourful and exuberant and fits the formal British tradition, but I also create a lot of sculptural pieces that could be considered contemporary wearable art.
- What do you love most about creating hats?
- Hat making helps me process the world around me. I interpret the things I love, from art and nature to fashion, history and science, through the craft of millinery and through art. I love being able to create a dream and a different landscape. My craft is how I express myself.
Ranelle Larocque is a rising star: she began her career in 2019 and she started teaching in 2025
Where
Ranelle Larocque
