Bill Cunningham

Bill Cunningham is a legend of the New York City fashion scene, famously photographing the city’s quirky style for decades. But did you know that long before Cunningham ever picked up a camera, he was a milliner?

A Young Milliner in New York

William John Cunningham Jr. (1929-2016) was born and raised in Boston. At nineteen he walked away from a full scholarship to Harvard University and moved to New York City, where he found work in the advertising department of the luxurious Bonwit Teller Department Store.

During his first year in New York, Cunningham began to design hats under the name of William J. He didn’t use his full name because his family didn’t think it was respectable for a man to be working in the fashion industry.

William J – Avant Garde Headwear

Cunningham set up his studio and home on 52nd street, between Madison and Park. He designed fanciful and inventive hats for women. His pieces were worn by stars such as Joan Crawford, Ginger Rogers and Marylin Monroe. Despite his impressive clientele, however, he still worked two jobs on the side to make ends meet, as his designs were seen as too exotic by many people.

William J hats were daring and imaginative. They were surreal and strange and certainly not for the wearer who wanted to look like everyone else. His collections featured outrageous designs like an octopus with tentacles wrapping around the head, a fish hat with glittering scales and a giant clam shell with the wearer’s face peeking out like a pearl.

There were hats that looked like fruits and vegetables, potted plants and feathered creations. One large sun hat had a fringe around the brim which hung right down to the floor. Apparently, this was to create a personal cabana so the wearer could change into a swimsuit in privacy!

Cunningham was forced to put his millinery business on hold when he was drafted to serve in the US Army during the Korean War. He was stationed in France. Returning from duty in 1954, he went back to making hats, drawing fresh inspiration from the fashions he had seen while abroad. Business was slow as hats were declining in popularity, however, and by 1962 he had stopped making headwear completely.

Since Bill Cunningham’s career as a milliner was relatively short, William J hats are an extremely rare find. In 2012, there was an auction of 23 of his hats which all sold to one buyer for $20,000. These pieces were then donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and many of them can be viewed online at www.metmuseum.org.

Discovering Photography

Moving away from hat making, Cunningham went on to write about fashion for Women’s Wear Daily and the Chicago Tribune. But it was when he received his first camera in 1967 that he found the passion which he would pursue for the rest of his life. He led a life dedicated to capturing street fashion and became one of New York City’s most recognized and treasured figures.

If you’d like to learn more about Bill Cunningham and his early days as a milliner, you can watch the recent documentary about him or read his personal memoir, Fashion Climbing, which was published after his death in 2016.

About the Author

Amy Fowler is the creator of the bespoke, California-based Millinery by Amy Fowler label. She also runs Humboldt Haberdashery, an online millinery supplier.

See Amy’s full bio HERE.