Fashion and art is in Ania’s genes; she comes from a family of designers, painters, photographers and jewelers. At age six, Ania Hammam was taught to knit by her Grandma Jadzia, consequently all her dolls amassed a collection of “couture” sweaters. The passion continued with scarves, hats and blankets for her dolls, friends and family. By 8th grade, she stood 5’9” and conventional clothes did not fit her; applying her knitting and sewing skills, she transformed her wardrobe into a perfect fitting and unique collection. Necessity turned into a passion and the yarn ball kept rolling…

During her studies at Fashion Institute, Ania enrolled in a millinery class which was taught by Janet Linville, the Millinery Supervisor at The New York Metropolitan Opera. Ms. Linville’s class was an infectious brew and Ania turned into a mad hatter. Through research and persistence, she has acquired vintage millinery instructional books with a wealth of information about this trade’s techniques.

The mad hatter went to work. In the following years she gained experience working for and with a variety of NYC designers. The decision to start her own creative venture was easy; achieving that was a bit more difficult and lengthy. With the encouragement and support of her fiancee, siblings and friends, Ania is, at last, the owner and creative force of her own label - Ash Derby.