How self-taught skills and pop culture helped The Hat Girls become Derby hat trendsetters

Like taking a swim in a bubble gum machine, a visit to The Hat Girls boutique and studio in St. Matthews is eye candy taken to the extreme.

Every corner of Rachel Bell and Kate Smith's sleek modern space is splashed with color and feathers, bows, ribbon, and lightweight Sinamay straw. Hundreds of finished headpieces are coordinated by color palette in sections of pink, blue, white and cream, black, red, green, purple and periwinkle.

The Hat Girls are the Official Milliners of the Kentucky Derby Festival and one of the Featured Milliners of The Kentucky Derby. One glance around their workshop answers the question of why.

Gorgeous, fun, trendsetting, and yes, more than a few showstoppers, pepper the walls and racks. And even with so much inventory already in place, behind a waist-high counter, Bell and Smith are hard at work, sewing, sniping and putting the final touches on more hats for women heading to the Kentucky Derby.

Check this out: Here are 3 tips from the pros to make sure you find the best Kentucky Derby hat

"We only focus on making hats for women to wear to the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby," said Bell. "We put all our energy into designing for the weekend of racing."

How did Britney Spears influence The Hat Girls' earliest fashion?

Friends since they were teenagers, the creative thread that ties the duo to one another began when they designed and sewed their own dresses for the duPont Manual High School prom.

"Fashion definitely brought us together," Smith said. "Looking back at those prom photos, it's clear our inspiration was Britney Spears. We had staples in our hair and thigh-high slits. We were little wanna-be fashionistas."

You may l ike: Looking for the perfect Kentucky Derby hat? Here are 10+ milliners you should check out

After high school, Smith got a degree in Fashion Design at Columbia College in Chicago and Smith left town to work in marketing. By 2011, the friends were back together, living in Las Vegas. One night, they visited a nightclub where they got the idea that would eventually launch their company.

"The go-go dancers in the nightclub were wearing hats made out of synthetic hair and we said 'we have to do that for Derby,'" remembers Bell. "That year we wore the hair hats to the Turf Club at Churchill Downs and a lot of people, including the celebrities, were asking to get pictures with us."

Bell and Smith left the Kentucky Derby with the realization that they were onto something. Fashion at the track could be fun as well as elegant.

"We were back the next year wearing Vegas Showgirl-style hats with big painted feathers," Smith said. "A lot of people in the Turf Club remembered us and said 'it's the hair hat girls' and that's where our name The Hat Girls came from."

They would go on to create headpieces made with plex-glass, decorated in graffiti and when music superstar Prince died just weeks before the horse race, The Hat Girls appeared at Churchill Downs wearing purple dresses and towering feathered fascinators to honor the artist's famous song "Purple Rain."

How distinctive designs set The Hat Girls apart in the crowd

In 2013, the year they decided to get serious and launch a business, the duo borrowed $4,000 for supplies from Smith's brother and made 35 hats, which they sold to race fans who watched Orb win the 139th Kentucky Derby. For the next three years, Bell and Smith continued to build their seasonal business by perfecting their design and production skills and scaling up the number of hats they were able to produce.

You may like: Long dresses or short hems? Bold colors or pastels? Your fashion guide for Derby 2023

"We are self-taught and that has been an advantage," Smith said. "We've developed our own distinctive style that sets us apart from the other top designers. It's a lot of fun to walk through Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day and pick out our own hats among the hats of other top designers."

By 2016, while still working full-time jobs not associated with millinery work, The Hat Girls were making about 200 hats in a basement they referred to as "the hat dungeon." It was also the year they were asked to become the Offical Milliners of the Kentucky Derby Festival. Part of the distinction includes creating hat fashions for the models walking the runway of the annual Kentucky Derby Festival Spring Fashion event.

"It was a lot of work and we realized we were doing this," Bell said. "Kate was back living in Louisville full time and I made the decision to move back, too, and we went for it. I had no backup plan and we just kept going, moving forward and growing the business."

Eleven years after strutting into Churchill Downs wearing Showgirl headpieces, Bell and Smith have transformed The Hat Girls into a successful year-round business, producing more than 1,600 handmade hats and fascinators each year.

Churchill Downs Racetrack took notice and in 2023, added The Hat Girls to a very exclusive list. For the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, The Hat Girls hold the prestigious title of Featured Milliner of the Kentucky Derby, a distinction they share with Christine A. Moore Millinery and Jenny Pfanenstiel, owner of Formé Millinery.

"For us, it's like winning the Super Bowl," said Bell. "To be Featured Millinners of the Kentucky Derby has been our dream from the beginning."

The Hat Girls' designs are like wearing a party on your head

Now in their 11th year, The Hat Girls are light years passed from their Las Vegas-inspired hats made of artificial hair but it doesn't mean their adventurous spirit is any less important.

"When we walk through Churchill Downs we can see pieces that we didn't make but have been influenced by our design," Smith said proudly. "We have evolved to the point that we are literally setting trends in design in the headwear industry."

You may like: Churchill Downs names 3 Featured Milliners for Kentucky Derby 2023. Meet the hat makers

For a couple of friends who bonded over fashion at a Louisville high school to the pinnacle of hat design and the extravagance of the Kentucky Derby, this is one wild and exciting ride for the Kentucky designers known as The Hat Girls.

"We grew up here and we know people are willing to go all out with their fashion at the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby," Smith said. "Going all out is what Derby is all about and it's what we're all about and that makes us unique."

Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.

3 tips to find the perfect hat for The Kentucky Derby

Rachel Bell and Kate Smith have been designing and making hats and fascinators for Kentucky Derby fans for more than a decade. They are the Offical Milliners of the Kentucky Derby Festival and Featured Milliners of the Kentucky Derby with a studio and boutique located at 211 Clover Lane.

Here are their tips for finding the perfect topper for your Kentucky Derby outfit:

Spend time doing online research before entering a store

With so many sizes, colors and styles of Kentucky Derby hats, spend time online looking through different milliners' websites and social media accounts before you head to the shops.

"Walking into a boutique or hat shop with hundreds of options is overwhelming for a lot of people," said Bell, co-owner of The Hat Girls. "Browsing online can help you whittle down the type of headwear you'll feel most comfortable wearing. We also offer ideas on our Instagram page for coordinating your hat or fascinator with ideas for dresses, shoes, purses and accessories."

Think about if you want a big brim or fancy fascinator

Smith finds that many women attending the Kentucky Derby for their first time will want to wear a more traditional wide-brim hat.

"Where you will be watching the Derby makes a difference to the size of hat you'll wear," she said. "A lot of customers like a smaller fascinator if they know they are going to spend the day in a crowded area as it's easier to maneuver. But really, it's all crowded on Derby Day, which is why after the first year, we find customers don't want to fight with a hat and prefer a fascinator on a headband."

Order your custom hat early

This is a pretty simple task as long as you've done your homework by browsing online ahead of shopping in person.

"When you know what style you would like to wear and have an idea of the color(s), you are going to be happiest if you order as earlier as possible," Smith said. "For a custom design, it's never too early to start working with the designer. And the earlier you visit a hat shop or boutique, the better selection you'll find."

The best hats and fascinators sell quickly so it's best to start your search by early April if you are going to the races in May.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Need a Kentucky Derby hat? Why you should shop at The Hat Girls