Dina Pisani

Teaches at Brooklyn Craft Company

Dina Pisani is the woman behind Cha Cha’s House of Ill Repute. Cha Cha began studying the craft of millinery in 1994 under the tutelage of the highly regarded milliner, Anne Allbrizzio. After completing the millinery program at FIT she began designing for private clients. Soon she started collaborating with the East Village designer Mark Montano. In August of 2001 she opened her millinery design studio, Cha Cha’s House of Ill Repute. Since then she has steadily built a unique clientele ranging from NYC to Tokyo to Shanghai. Cha Cha’s hats have attracted the attention of the entertainment industry. She counts several celebrities as devoted clients including Alicia Keyes and Justin Timberlake. Her hats have also been purchased by Queen Latifah, Pink, and Christina Aguilera among others. Cha Cha hand blocks each hat on her personal collection of vintage and specially designed blocks using the finest quality straws and felts. She scours local and regional flea markets for vintage millinery, antique trimmings and feathers to inspire her designs. Her signature style includes hand dying blended with free form blocking techniques which give the hats a unique vintage look while remaining modern and wearable.