The work of Ellie Ayati-Jian first gained widespread attention when she took the fashion world by storm in a surprising victory at the New York Belmont Stakes Fashion Contest. A relatively unknown milliner at the time, Ellie's designs captivated the judges at the Belmont Stakes, a horse racing event that is internationally famous for showcasing the most innovative designs in millinery.
The thrill of this victory further spurred her interest in millinery, and set the benchmark for her future designs
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Ellie’s journey began many years before that. A native of Iran, she received a Masters of Architecture from the University of Western Australian. After working for a decade in architectural and interior design, she decided to make a break and follow her true passion by pursuing a career in the world of fashion.
Since childhood, Ellie had been fascinated with costumes and clothing design. Her enthusiasm for this field began with making outfits and headpieces for her dolls, and later expanded to create paintings which featured girls in fashionable outfits. As the years went by, her design sensibilities became more eclectic and sophisticated.
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As she continued to hone her skills and develop her own unique approach to design, Covid hit. During the resulting quarantines and shutdowns, she began taking online millinery classes. She later enrolled in the FIT millinery course, where she learned basic and advanced millinery skills.
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Today, Ellie continues to push her design sensibilities into new realms by creating bold, eclectic and distinctive designs.
She currently lives in Boston. In addition to her thriving milliner’s business, she extends her love for textiles, fashion and design to others by teaching millinery to her private students at her own studio.
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