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Alumni Profile: Finding the Right Fit
Finding the Right Fit
ALUMNA MARKIA HERRON FOUND HER PASSION FOR MAKING HATS FOR HERSELF AND TURNED IT INTO A SUCCESSFUL ONLINE BUSINESS
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by Tisha Arnold
Above: UAPB alumna Markia Herron is photographed in one of the hats she created.
Larry Harris
Around 2012, Markia Herron started wearing hats often. Whenever she shopped, it usually included purchasing a hat. Over time, she started to notice that most of them only lasted a few months. After researching, she found out she wasn't buying quality hats. Due to the simplicity of her style, she says she wanted to make sure her accessories stood out.
“That led to my interest in the hat business,” Herron said. “I learned so much about the trade from the entire hat making process to different felts and pricing. After a few months, I began to hunt for equipment and the best quality materials. From there, things took off.”
Known as millinery, it is defined as the manufacture and craft of making hats and headwear. A milliner historically would also produce everything from shirts, cloaks and shifts, to caps and neckerchiefs for both men and women, as well as designing and trimming their headgear. The term dates to the Middle Ages, when a Milliner referred to someone from Milan — the home of fashion and textiles trade.
Armed with a degree in Industrial Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ITMAE) from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, the techie-turnedmilliner began her hat journey while working her first postcollege job in a small town in Kansas. At that time, Herron estimates there were around 30 hat stores in the United States but only one in Kansas. While traveling for work in Manhattan, she visited a hat store there and purchased her first high quality hat. Her technical background took over when she dismantled, and reverse engineered the hat she bought from the Manhattan store.
According to Herron, millinery isn’t a trade that offers a multitude of apprenticeships. The lack of opportunities to shadow someone didn’t stop her. Fueled by the desire to do more with her newly found passion, Herron said she couldn’t sleep at night for months. She read all she could find about hat making and studied it like it was for a final exam in the demanding Quality Control course she took when attending UAPB.
“Hat making has been a dying trade for many years, so when I decided to go full force with it, I knew I had to be great. What did I do? I set my sail and continued on.”
Herron said she failed at times but succeed from correcting the errors. Most importantly, she never gave up. In those moments, she knew millinery was for her. She estimates having constructed 100 hats before she felt she had a firm grasp on the craft and could create a product that would be competitive in the market.
Her perseverance paid off. Herron Hats was launched online May 2017 and has since garnered a worldwide customer base that includes celebrities such as R&B singer Anthony Hamilton, who has purchased several of them.
“My style is very unorthodox,” she said. “I try to put a spin on the traditional, classical hat. I love to distress and add extra stitching details while staying true to the traditions of hat making.”
Herron said her designs are created for the fashion forward who dare to think beyond the brim. In her own words, she seeks to blur the lines of professionalism and creativity to bring timeless pieces that can be worn for work or play. With each handcrafted piece, she looks to present a novel twist to an ageless design.
Distressing, contrasting stitching, and details like feathers, fabric patterns and, in this case, pennies, go into making a truly memorable hat.
Brenton Kirkhart
When in design mode, Herron said there isn’t a strategic approach. She usually picks a color, blocks the hat and lets it sit on her workbench for a day or so. She tends to find inspiration in daily activities, especially when seeing things that pop with color mixes. For her, seeing the raw hat body go through so many processes and designing a hat without sketching is the most fascinating part of the craft. When you view the collection at her online store (herronhats. com), you can quickly see the intricate details she invests in each piece. The color combinations delight the senses with juxta positioned patterns and accents that are sure to draw attention. Her latest designs were recently shown at Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week.
“I want my clients to experience a revolution...a metamorphosis,” she said. “I want my hats to start a halo effect. My hope is that when a client puts on one of my hats, the style and confidence that they exude becomes infectious. I want the impression they make to influence style and passion in the next person...and the next...and the next and so on.”
When reflecting on her UAPB experience, Herron said the institution afforded her a sound education that highly reflects on her life. She said any ITMAE student can attest to Dr. Charles Colen pushing then to pursue their goals. Herron said it was refreshing knowing she had a place where she connected with people, whether it was through Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., with her softball teammates, or randomly meeting people on campus.
“Attending UAPB brought out my character, my style, and my persona. Most importantly, the university made me understand that if I wanted to do something, it started with me first. No matter what, they'd be there to guide me.”
With that resolve in mind, Markia said she plans to open a few Herron Hat Co. boutiques around the state. Being a custom handmade hatter, she is only able to produce 5 – 10 pieces per boutique. As the business continues to grow, she’d like to build a small team, ultimately producing a larger volume of hats.
“Trends are ever changing, but through the centuries, the classic dress hat has withstood the test of time. With this business, I wanted to create something unique that I loved, so I did.”
