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©Andraž Gregorič
©Andraž Gregorič
©Andraž Gregorič
©Andraž Gregorič
©Andraž Gregorič

Ana Cajhen

  • Milliner
  • Dol pri Ljubljani, Slovenia
  • Rising Star
Ana Cajhen Milliner
Contact
Slovenian, English
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+386 041809667
©Andraž Gregorič

The history behind straw hats

  • • Ana is a historian who fell in love with straw hat making
  • • It took her over two years to master the technique
  • • She learned her craft from an old master

Ana Cajhen is a historian by education, but today she makes custom straw hats. Her story began back in 2015, when she gave guided tours of a local museum in Domžale, a town known in the past as the capital of straw hat making in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She decided to learn more about the rich local tradition of straw hat making and attended a course. Ana instantly loved this craft. She spent every free moment improving her technique in sewing and shaping straw plaits. It took her more than two years to master straw hat making fully. Today, her straw hats are an indispensable fashion accessory, often worn by models on the catwalk.

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Andraž Gregorič
  • ©Andraž Gregorič
  • ©Andraž Gregorič
  • ©Andraž Gregorič
  • ©Andraž Gregorič
Photo: ©Andraž Gregorič
Girardi hat

This straw hat is made of 20 metres of spelt straw plait, hand sewn into a boat hat, named after the opera singer Girardi. Ana Cajhen sewed the inner and the outer ribbon by hand and the plaits on a Grossmann Anita B sewing machine dating from 1905.

Length 40 cm
Width 35 cm
Height 8 cm

Photo: ©Andraž Gregorič
Girardi Feathers

Ana made this boat hat, named after the opera singer Girardi, out of 30 metres straw plaits that are hand-knitted in China. She decorated it with real coloured feathers and a satin ribbon.

Length 36 cm
Width 36 cm
Height 11 cm

Photo: ©Andraž Gregorič
Lady’s hat

Ana Cajhen hand sewed 45 metres of straw plaits to make this round shaped hat with a wide brim. She decorated it with discreet flowers made of rice paper.

Length 50 cm
Width 50 cm
Height 8 cm

Photo: ©Andraž Gregorič
Lady’s Verdi

Ana Cajhen handcrafted this hat from straw. The lightweight women's hat is decorated with a green ribbon and a green border made of dyed straw plaits.

Length 40 cm
Width 40 cm
Height 13 cm

Photo: ©Andraž Gregorič
The Duet

The Singapore lady's hat is a special straw hat, with a longer front part, a round head part and a red satin ribbon. Ana Cajhen created it especially for Ljubljana Fashion Week 2022. The other hat is the Girardi boat hat.

Length 32 cm
Width 20 cm
Height 12 cm

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