With no experience in fashion Elizabeth Koch turned to millinery on her arrival in Beijing and now makes headgear for many of the city's trendiest residents

It is easy to spot Elisabeth Koch at Beijing social gatherings. She is the one sporting the outrageous headgear, usually tailored to the social occasion she is attending, whether it is an embassy party, a polo game or a fashion show.

American Koch has carved out a niche as one of the most high profile hat-makers in China since starting her business from scratch five years ago. At first, it was a small service, catering to women needing attire for weddings or parties, but she now has her own studio and is a creative consultant to a Chinese company that has a chain of hat stores.

As well as bespoke pieces for clients in Beijing and other Chinese cities, Koch runs an online store, supplies hats to boutiques in the United States and Europe, and is regularly asked to make elaborate creations for Chinese fashion-magazine shoots or corporate clients.

"I have made hats in the shape of the Eiffel Tower and a lobster," says Koch. "The hats that tend to sell well are the really crazy ones and the ones that are not super-exciting, the two extremes.

"A typical client might be someone whose son or daughter is getting married back in their own country. I don't specialize in bridal but I can do cream or white hair pieces. I also make hats just to keep warm, but try to make them a bit special.

"What is different is the quality. I sew everything by hand, I don't even use a sewing machine. Also the design I will come up with is something you do not see in local stores."

The business came about through a set of circumstances, beginning with the news that diplomat husband Albert van Lawick van Pabst would be posted to the Dutch embassy in Beijing. Instead of opting to become a stay-at-home spouse, Koch decided that moving to a new country would be a perfect chance to pursue her dream of launching a career as a milliner - even though she knew little about China and the needs and wants of customers there.

Koch is nothing if not determined, signing up for a millinery course to advance her skills. On arrival in Beijing, one room of the family's downtown apartment was turned into a studio where appointment-only clients could visit to explain their requirements.

That quickly developed into a business making 150 hats a year, ranging in price from $250 (187 euros) to $800. The wackier creations include a hat with a tarantula perched on top, another featuring a cup of tea, and specially-made numbers for movie stars such as Zhang Ziyi and Fan Bingbing.

"Before coming to China, I went to millinery school with the idea that I am going to move to China and this is what I am going to do," Koch says. "I had never been to China in my whole life and suddenly here we were. I did not do any market research. Maybe that was stupid."

Koch discovered she had a natural knack for generating publicity. The local Chinese press was particularly intrigued by an expatriate who made dazzlingly original and sometimes wacky headwear. Koch also drummed up interest by staging fashion shows in hotels, often with support from sponsors.

News of her skills led to interest from the corporate world, with commissions to do one-off numbers for special events. InterContinental hotel and resorts hired Koch to create a series of hats that illustrated the topic of China's ancient cities, which resulted in head-wear that was in the shape of temples, lanterns and city walls. The hats were later auctioned to raise funds for the World Wildlife Fund.

Interest also came from a Chinese company, Hatters' Hub, which has seven stores throughout the country. They offered her the post of creative director with the aim of adding some international pizzazz to their collections, and also suggested a joint venture making classy hats.

Koch operates out of the Elisabeth Koch Millinery Studio in a Beijing branch of Hatters' Hub and is currently formulating plans for further expansion, including the hiring of up to six workers to help with the sewing.

Husband Albert also caught the entrepreneurial bug while living in China, quitting the Dutch diplomatic service to launch a company that concentrates on clean-energy initiatives.

The couple have two children who were both born in the city. The older, Bernadette, 4, attends local kindergarten and speaks fluent Chinese, with the younger, Diederik, also destined to be a child who grows up fully conversant with local culture and language.

The family is planning a long-term stay in the city, with Koch eager to develop and expand the business. She is, by her own admission, something of a late entrant into the fashion field. Before launching the hat business, she worked briefly as a journalist and then forged a career in banking, focusing on the marketing side

"I have been making things since I was born, my entire family is creative," she says. "My father had a corporate career, but has a workshop at home and can do anything with wood. My mom's an art teacher, my sister is a set designer and my brother is a movie director. I was the black sheep in a cubicle at a bank and they felt sorry for me.

"My family and others often ask me why I am in China and why I like it. There are problems, but the people here in Beijing are great, they are real people. It is like any society - yes, there are huge cultural differences, but just like in other societies you have the cool guy, the nerd and the joker."

For China Daily

Elisabeth Koch says the hats that sell well are the really crazy ones and the ones that are not super-exciting. Photos Provided to China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 09/06/2013 page29)