Sewing, crafting and designing has always been in Lynsey Champion’s lifeblood. 

At a tender age, Lynsey was busy mastering the sewing and knitting machines and her first proud creation was a knitted Starsky & Hutch jacket at just 11 years old!

Surrounded by a family of fellow crafty creators, Lynsey was inspired by her mother, aunts and grandmothers who all knitted, crotcheted and sewed with skill. Her mother painted, decorated, upholstered and made most of her children’s clothes. 

Developing a love for the hand-crafted, markets were amongst Lynsey’s favourite places to be during childhood, especially Cook Street and Victoria Park.

Three decades of design

Perhaps it was written in the stars then that, upon returning to New Zealand from her travels in 1993, Lynsey decided to make her very first hat and wore it out to dinner that night when she met a design store owner. The store owner asked Lynsey where her hat was from. It was a stunning suede jerkin hat upcycled from the bottom of a suite coat. She was so taken with her creation that she made Lynsey promise to produce more of her wonderful hats to sell in her store, thus giving life to Lynsey Champion Hats.

Throughout three decades of design, Lynsey Champion Hats have bestowed many heads, including those of politicians and musicians. One hat has even been to see Queen Elizabeth II for tea!

Using the finest fabrics

Lynsey uses the finest fabrics as her muse when she fashions her latest designs; and her love affair with style and quality see her return again and again to crafting with Japanese cotton, silk velvet and New Zealand wool.

Lynsey’s favourite hats are bold, with clashing colours, and every design is stitched with passion and skill. 

Lynsey Champion resides on beautiful Waiheke Island with her partner, Steve and her daughter’s cat, Wonton. They will soon finish building a brand new workshop, and would love to invite you to come try on a few hats when the doors open.