![](http://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/fb8a6520-aa04-4790-8d2f-670618c82519/P1457036%20Hats%20AprilMay2024.jpg/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=h:1000,cg:true)
I transform mostly plain second-hand hats into one-off wearable art pieces, decorating them with fabrics, lace, jewels, feathers and even zips.
I'm Melanie Ball and I started upcycling jackets in the 1990s because I was bored with my then home of Melbourne's obsession with basic black.
I decorated my first hat as a gift
and the rest, as they say, is history.
Now based in regional Victoria, I still applique jackets, on commission, but specialise in unique hats, adopted from op-shops and decorated in themes from abstract to Australiana.
My goal is to make people smile and curb wasteful fashion trends by creating one-off wearable artworks you can enjoy for years.
You'll never meet your fashion double wearing a decorated Appliquez Moi hat - or jacket!
Travel, nature, childhood fun and fantasy, and fabrics inspire my designs. If you have something specific in mind, let's chat about a commission.