About Alison
Alison Roe is an Irish Designer based in County Tipperary. She specialises in designing classic, elegant headpieces and hats for Ladies Day at the Races, Weddings, Mother of the Bride/Groom. Alison also creates a range of luxury accessories including Tweed Capes, Vintage Fur Collars and Feather Hat Pins.
With an emphasis on classic elegance and individual style, each headpiece is handmade and hand-sewn using traditional millinery techniques and finished with great attention to detail.
Although Alison is a qualified Solicitor and worked in law for many years, she found her way into the world of design and millinery (following in the footsteps of her great-grandmother) when she began making headpieces for herself. Clients began commissioning pieces and it soon developed into a new career!
In 2015, Alison launched her design atelier at the charming Coach House Studio near Roscrea, Co. Tipperary. It is an oasis of colourful fabrics & beautiful trimmings, where her clients receive a truly bespoke experience when they attend for private appointments.
Her headpieces are often seen at racing Ladies Days in Ireland and in the UK, at Cheltenham and Royal Ascot and are popular for their couture design. She has been chosen by Leopardstown Racecourse as their Style Partner for Irish Champions Weekend and Winter Racing Festivals.
With clientele all over the world, her designs have been worn by Mary Kennedy (RTE), Una Healy (The Saturdays), Jenny Buckley (TV Presenter), Rachel Wyse (Sky Sports), Olivia Wayne (Sky Sports), Sally Ann Grassick (RTE & ITV Racing), Clodagh McKenna (celebrity chef) and many personalities from the Horse-Racing world and beyond. Many of her styles have been featured on Ireland AM.
Her headpieces are stocked by several Hat Hire Studios in Ireland and the UK.
Alison has enjoyed much press coverage including a feature in Irish Country Living Magazine and the style pages of fashion magazines. She is the millinery supplier for the Tipperary Rose and has been one of the judges for the Tipperary Rose Selection for several years.
In addition to her bespoke service, where a headpiece can be specially designed to suit the colour & style of a particular outfit and the individuality of a client, she also has a range of ready-to-wear headpieces available for sale every season.
She regularly attends race-meetings and particularly loves combining local fabrics like tweeds and Irish pheasant feathers in her pieces for winter and spring racing for a warm, country-chic look. This "country-chic" vibe is especially encapsulated in her exclusive range of Tweed Capes with matching Tweed Headpieces and Feather Pin Accessories (also stocked by RedMills Country Store, Kilkenny and various other international equestrian and country style retailers).
She has been asked to judge various Most Stylish Lady Competitions at the races including at Kilbeggan Racecourse with celebrity judges Darren Kennedy (of ITV) and Nuala Gorham (of Penny & Polaroids Blog) and at Fairyhouse Racecourse with Rachel Wyse of Sky TV.
The top floor of Alison’s studio houses the very popular HAT HIRE GALLERY featuring a collection of her signature style headpieces. With new pieces regularly added, her clients can avail of the opportunity to hire a hand-sewn individual headpiece to really bring their whole look together in a unique way.
