Sandy Kahlich
Modes Nita
Milliner
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Recommended by Association De Mains de Maîtres Luxembourg
A lifetime of hats and colour
- Sandy is one of the last remaining milliners in Luxebourg
- She makes hats for men and women with different materials including felt, straw and leather
- Her headpieces are distinguished by her signature use of colour
Originally from Germany, Sandy Kahlich has lived and worked in Luxembourg since 2004. For more than two decades, she has practised millinery at long-established hat boutique Modes Nita. Sandy's life and career are closely intertwined: her partner Marco Laux tends to the ground-floor shop while she works upstairs in her atelier, creating collections, bespoke hats and headpieces, and teaching workshops. "Through my practice, I aim to keep a disappearing craft alive at a time when hats are no longer an everyday essential," she says. Sandy's colourful, inventive designs combine traditional techniques with a love of experimentation, while her workshops offer clients a first-hand experience of the skill and labour behind each handmade piece.
INTERVIEW
At 16, during a work placement in a Bavarian hat atelier, I found my calling. I had already tried my hand at several different jobs, but millinery felt different. I shaped felt over a hat block and watched it take form. I fell in love with the craft, asked for an apprenticeship on the spot and spent the following three years in training.
Traditionally, a modiste makes women’s hats, while a milliner makes men’s. I trained in both, so I make hats for everyone. I work with felt, straw, sinamay, horsehair, fabrics, leather, feathers and cashmere. Colour is very important to me.
Yes, hats are no longer an everyday necessity. When I watch Singin’ in the Rain or Casablanca and see everyone wearing hats, I think to myself, 'this is my world'. Today, people compare handmade hats with low-quality, mass-made caps, without understanding the craftsmanship that goes behind the art.
New generations prioritise conscious consumption, choose second-hand goods and challenge fast fashion. They care about quality and fair wages. Their purchasing power will still need to grow over the next decade or two before the market is reshaped.
Sandy Kahlich
Modes Nita
Milliner
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Recommended by Association De Mains de Maîtres Luxembourg
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
PHONE
+352 224995
LANGUAGES
German, French, English, Luxembourgish
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