Kate Wake-Walker was Chairman of The Mad Hatters Show for four years until 2012. The Mad Hatters’ Show is a star-studded celebration of the milliner’s art, which raised over £450,000 for The Children’s Trust since it began in 2001. A member of the organizing committee since 2004, she had overseen and encouraged its development from a ‘smart’ ladies only lunch for 400 into a ‘men included’ evening event at The Hurlingham Club that included a fashion show organised by fashion director and ex-supermodel Jane Carlton and auctions by Jeffrey Archer that raised over £45K each year for the charity.
Timed to coincide with Ascot, it allowed London’s top milliners including Victoria Grant, Siggi, Suzanne Bettley, JoJo Hats, Edwina Ibbotson, James Lock & Co Ltd, and Louis Mariette to display their latest creations before a ‘society’ audience, who then purchased them after the show. The show attracted a glittering audience that in turn encouraged collaboration and sponsorship from luxury brands such Cartier, Harvey Nichols, James Tyrwhitt, and Wolford.
