Cejunel Millinery has been outfitting customers in New York City and across the United States in bespoke hats since opening in 2005. Owned by C.J. Lewis along with her daughters and part owners, Cresalee and Nevalee, the shop specializes in hats to wear to church services and special occasions, such as the Kentucky Derby and tea parties. “We get people from Indiana, California, Florida. Some people come here literally just to view the store,” says Julia.
We spoke to C.J., a self-taught milliner from Jamaica, and her daughters about the creative and technical process of making a custom hat, their customers’ shopping experience and how their Bronx neighborhood influences them.
C.J. Lewis
How did you get your start in hat making?
C.J. Lewis: Between age 16 and 18, I got saved. I started going to church, and it was mandatory for us to wear a hat. I decided to use one of my sister’s old hats and make it into something suitable for me. Back then we never had raw materials to make a new hat in Jamaica, so I started out by using an old hat to make a new one. It turned out so great—everybody loved it, and I got so many compliments. After that I decided I was going to go right into renovating hats.
For me, hat making is innate. No one taught me how to do it. I was always crafty with my hands. Doing it over the years, I decided to turn it into a business.
Who visits your shop? What is a customer’s typical store experience like?
Cresalee Lewis: Our local neighborhood in the northern Bronx has supported us. But since our media presence took off in 2020 when we started doing Facebook Live, we get more customers from different parts of America. We were shocked at first. One person flew in from Florida, and she booked a hotel near here just to come to the store.
The customers’ experience is definitely not like at other stores. With our customers, if we go on our Facebook, it’s like home in the sense we’re like family. We have customers who come in, and we talk to them like they’re our brothers and sisters. Sometimes we even argue like we’re family, but they definitely stick around because of that. They feel comfortable, and we’re transparent.
CJL: We are always honest with our customers. I tell them the truth, and they appreciate that. I try to be very patient with them, and we do personal consultations. Especially the seniors who are not able to go online, when they call me, I walk them through the store, show them the hats. We fit their hats and help them decide what is best suited for them. They appreciate that a whole lot.
What are your best-selling hats?
Nevalee Lewis: Our small hats. Especially due to Kate and William getting married, fascinators became the trend.
What was your most memorable hat?
CL: A decade ago we made a hat for one of our dearest customers. She passed away, but our last hat for her was huge—what we call a tower hat, meaning the hat is really high, like in The Cat in the Hat. But this one was wide too. The hat was laced with rhinestones from top to bottom. That was the only hat we made like that. It is one of a kind.
What’s the technical process of making a hat?
CJL: I can basically use anything to make one. The process depends. For hats sewn from scratch, I never have a plan as to what I’m going to do. When I sit at the machine and start sewing, it comes naturally. I make whatever shape the hat forms itself into. That is one of the reasons why I don’t repeat hats. I can only do one of each because they’re all unique. It’s not a block or a mold. It’s not like that when you sew one hat.
CL: As we say in the fashion world, there are no mistakes in fashion; there’s only a new creation. So if we make a hat and it doesn’t turn out the way we like, we’ll just make another one. That’ll be a new design.
What inspires you when you’re making a hat?
CJL: The face of the customer. When I see the customer, it pops up in my head exactly the shape, how I’m going to make the hat and what I’m going to do. I cannot explain it, but I can make it a reality.
Cresalee Lewis
What would you like people to know about the art and profession of millinery?
CJL: We need people to train the younger generation to make hats. Hats are not a thing like before. Hatmakers have all died out or are maybe my age. I would rather train a young entrepreneur how to make a hat instead of getting their frames from overseas.
CL: People don’t make hats from scratch anymore, and when we say scratch, we mean the frame before it is covered too. A lot of designers buy frames and just cover them and sell it. We actually make the frames.
How has the Bronx and Gun Hill Road influenced you creatively and as business owners?
CL: Our portion of the Bronx is predominantly Caribbean, mostly Jamaicans. People from a lot of ethnic backgrounds come to the store. It’s a very diverse neighborhood. We specialize in church hats. We have a Catholic church down the street. But you have Asians, Nigerians, different ethnicities, different cultures. So when they come into our store and, for instance, a Nigerian wedding is happening, they request a head wrap. So our neighborhood is pushing us to make something that’s applicable to their culture, pushing us out of our comfort zone.
How has your Jamaican heritage and community shaped your work?
CJL: I think as a Jamaican, the way I was brought up and the way I feel about myself. I have confidence that anything that I’m going to do, I should do it well. Growing up as a child, I could do anything that I put my mind to. I was told that I get things done from a very early age.
NL: There’s a type of Jamaican hustle culture. It doesn’t matter what you do, if you’re going to do a business, you have a job and you do it to the best of your ability.
CJL: We are hardworking people. I love when I make a hat, the customer is comfortable, and it should last. My hats are lasting. I’m known to make a hat and it doesn’t fall apart.
What advice do you have for artists who want to open a small business?
CJL: Believe in yourself and try to find out what you do best. Whatever you do best, it probably is a gift and you should work on it.
Check out more stories of creative entrepreneurs in the five boroughs on our Makers of NYC page.
