Kelowna milliner and designer Rio Branner outside of her store in downtown Kelowna./Photo Summitted

By Kevin Rothwell

Unique business

Hold on to your hat: new shop focuses on ‘ultimate fashion statement’

Nov 2, 2022 | 8:00 PM

The awning catches your eye immediately, declaring “Hats of all kinds for all kinds of people.”

It sits above one of Kelowna’s newest boutiques, Rio Branner, Milliner & Merchant.

Launched by Kelowna milliner and designer Rio Branner in spring 2022, the store carries hats made by Branner as well as other Canadian-made hats and select global brands like Kangol and Bailey. It also stocks handmade artisan jewellery and fashion accessories, personal and beauty products, and more.

Rio Branner, Milliner & Merchant will celebrate its grand opening on Tuesday, Nov. 15 from 5 to 9 p.m. The event will be an open house-style gathering where guests are invited to try on hats, have a glass of wine, meet Rio and discover the store which is located downtown at 1331 Ellis Street.

“We’ve been open for a few months now, but with supply chain challenges and settling into a new home, we’re just now feeling ready to host this event,” Branner explained. “The response from the community so far has been amazing, and we’re super grateful for that. If you’ve been meaning to come down to see the store, this is the sign you’ve been looking for. Come say hi!”

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Kelowna-based milliner and designer Rio Branner /Photo Submitted

Branner worked as a successful fashion accessories designer over the past two decades. In 2018, she began a substantial investment into the tools, rare vintage hat blocks and materials required for the specialized millinery (hat-making) trade. As the pandemic put markets on hold, Branner used the unexpected space in her schedule to complete her formal training in millinery with the Hat Academy of Australia. On receiving her completion certificate in early 2021, she set her sights on the next goal—a hat shop of her own.

That goal has now been realized, and as the awning above the store suggests, the boutique carries every type of hat you can imagine, from fedoras and fancy fascinators to toques and beanies. Branner believes hats are the ultimate statement piece:

“There is something magical about how a hat can completely transform a person. It’s that one piece of your wardrobe that finishes the whole look and creates the ultimate fashion statement,” stated Branner.

The term milliner, originally from “Milener,” originally meant someone from Milan in northern Italy in the early 16th century. It referred to Milanese merchants who sold fancy bonnets, gloves, jewellery and cutlery. In the 16th to 18th centuries, the meaning of milliner gradually changed from a foreign merchant to a dealer in small articles relating to dress. Although the term originally applied to men, milliner came to mean a woman who makes and sells bonnets and other headgear for women.

For information on the “Night Cap Grand Opening” click here. You can find the company online at www.riobranner.com.