Leigh Magar

Who is Leigh Magar?

Leigh Magar is a milliner in Charleston, South Carolina and the owner of Magar Hatworks. She makes a range of custom hats from simple fedoras to more elaborate and theatrical ones, such as those worn at the Kentucky Derby. Her work is sold at Barneys and Tokyo retailer Isetan. Her husband, Johnny Tucker, is an architect.

Magar grew up in Spartanburg and began sculpting in high school. She enrolled in the millinery program at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, New York City, "where she financed her studies by working as a live-in housekeeper and assisting Harlem, New York hatmaker Rod Keenan" and then moved back to Charleston in 1996. After a while she opened an atelier on upper King Street, producing work for high-end retailers and custom work for locals