The story of Maison Michel begins in 1936 when Auguste Michel opened his millinery at 65 rue Sainte-Anne, Paris. In the 1960s, he entrusted the House to Pierre and Claudine Debard, who took charge of it until 2002. He was an entrepreneur, she was a milliner and together they successfully ran the company for many years thanks to their ability to meet the needs of an era marked by a revolution in hairstyles and the galloping success of ready-to-wear.

By the 1970s Maison Michel had become the hat maker of choice for Parisian haute couture, which was booming at the time. The Debards reorganised the workshops to satisfy this demand and most importantly reintroduced the Weismann, an antique machine for sewing straw still used by milliners at the House today.

Embodying the exceptional craftsmanship of a French luxury brand, Maison Michel joined CHANEL’s Métiers d’art in 1997. Alongside collaborations with ready-to-wear and haute couture ateliers, as well as its bespoke service, the House launched its eponymous line in 2006 under the impetus of Laetitia Crahay, artistic director at that time.

Its first boutique opened in 2013 on rue Cambon.

In 2015, the creation of collections and the image of Maison Michel are entrusted to Priscilla Royer. The artistic director seizes on yesterday's know-how and transforms the workshop into a creative laboratory. She imagines innovative, versatile headwear that captures the spirit of the times, and responds to the cult of personality that characterizes our era. Priscilla Royer desacralizes the hat and its wearer, diversifying its uses and developing models for women and men.

Since March 2021, Maison Michel has been a resident of 19M, a unique venue dedicated to showcasing the craftsmanship of artisans and creators. The Maison has established its own formier atelier there, alongside its millinery and hat-making ateliers.

Thanks to the development of all its expertise brought together in a single emblematic location, the Maison continues its quest for movement. It dares to explore new territories, with the launch of a collection of bags in 2023, and very soon a new line of hair accessories which will see the light of day in 2025. Like a garment, the hat and all Maison Michel creations enrich a silhouette, set the tone for an allure, and give everyone the freedom to express their personality.