Mae (copy)

Mae Reeves was born Lula Mae Grant, on October 29, 1912, in Vidalia, Georgia.

She was a pioneering  milliner who was famous for her custom-made hats.

While a teenager she attended the Chicago School of Millinery during her summers to learn how to make one of a kind handmade hats.

In 1934 Reeves moved to Philadelphia to work at a women's clothing shop on South Street. She created many hats while employed there, but her dream was to open her own hat shop, which she did in 1942.

Mae's Millinery Shop was one of the first in downtown Philadelphia owned by a woman of color.

Her clients included celebrities such as Ella Fitzgerald (American jazz singer), Lena Horne (American dancer), and many more.

Reeves was a member of The National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers and the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).

In 2009 The Smithsonian  National Museum of African American History and Culture obtained Reeve's collection of vintage hats and other personal items.

July 27, 2010 was declared "Hats Off To Mae Day" by the city of Philadelphia.

December 14, 2016 Mae Reeves died at the age of 104.