Aretha Franklin’s Detroit-made inauguration hat makes waves

Aretha’s Detroit-made hat from Mr. Song Millinery on Woodward Avenue struck a chord with the world and Mr. Song’s has been jammed with hat requests since.Excerpt:Aretha Franklin’s bow-tied, gift-wrapped, jewel-studded, $179
inaugural hat was designed, produced and sold to the Queen of Soul by
Mr. Song Millinery, a family-owned business on Woodward Avenue just
south of West Grand Boulevard.Starting minutes after Franklin
finished her distinctive rendition of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” on
Tuesday, the store’s phones started ringing.By Wednesday
afternoon, Mr. Song had sold hundreds of hats. A store in Dallas had
sold 500 more, and the material was running out.”People are
calling from England, asking for the hat,” said Luke Song, who designed
Franklin’s chapeau. “I’m shocked. I had no idea. We did not expect
this.”Read the entire article here.Here is a short piece about Mr. Song’s in the Los Angeles Times.