Inside a 594-square-foot studio in College Park, Georgia, milliner Otis Damón builds towering avant-garde crowns and reimagined Southern church lady hats over traditional wooden molds, each one-of-a-kind headpiece taking nearly three days to complete. But the space is more than a workshop for the designer, who has created hats for Whoopi Goldberg, Patti LaBelle, and Ne-Yo — it is also where he has learned to survive a battle with depression that began when he was six years old.
Damón, now a master milliner known for bespoke designs, has described his studio as a personal sanctuary as much as a production space, according to CBS News Atlanta. He calls the work happening there “art therapy,” and the station reports he has created some of his best pieces during his darkest times. The College Park studio was also spotlighted in a two-page spread in The Atlantan, a moment Damón called “full circle” in a video he posted to Facebook.
A Teacher's Lunchtime Intervention
Damón was raised in Hempstead, New York, where his depression and suicidal thoughts took root long before he found his craft. Before entering the 10th grade, he told a school teacher he was contemplating suicide, the station's report states. That teacher, identified on his own website as Hempstead High School educator Gleora Sibley, instructed him to come to her classroom every day at lunch, according to his official website.
There, Sibley taught him how to sew. Damón started making clothes, and the same account notes that sewing gave him a sense of peace he had not found elsewhere. The intervention did not go unnoticed by local officials — Hempstead Mayor James A. Garner presented Damón with a Citation for Entrepreneurship when he was just 16 years old, per the same account.
From Fifth Avenue to a Former Historic District
Damón went on to formalize his craft under established names in New York fashion, interning under Lola Ehrlich of Lola Millinery and studying hat-blocking with the late Horace Weeks of Peter & Irving. Those years led to displaying his designs at Fortunoff on Fifth Avenue and retailing at Henri Bendel, according to his website. He relocated his home and millinery practice from Long Island to the Atlanta metropolitan area in 2013, according to VoyageATL.
College Park itself carries its own historical weight — the city is home to Georgia's fourth-largest urban historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with more than 850 listed historic structures, and sits immediately adjacent to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to Wikipedia.
Living With Depression, Not Beating It
Damón continues to struggle with depression and receives medical treatment for it, but he has learned how to live with it, according to CBS News Atlanta's reporting. His story now extends beyond his own studio walls: the milliner's journey from adolescent trauma to master craftsman inspired an independent documentary, “Otis: In Search Of Sanctuary,” directed by Ghanaian-born, Atlanta-based filmmaker Eric Bomba-Ire, per a FilmFreeway listing. The project examines the psychological impact of fatherlessness and depression on young Black men.
A Broader Crisis Among Black Youth
Damón's experience sits within a troubling public health trend. CDC data analyzing 2018 through 2023 found that suicide deaths among Black youth ages 10 to 24 rose 29.4%, even as overall U.S. youth suicide rates dropped 7% over the same period, according to a report published in the North Carolina Medical Journal. Suicide-prevention resources are available through the CDC.
Damón describes his craft as art therapy and a way to work through difficult emotions. The article also addresses depression and anxiety in adults.
Where To Find Help
Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which also offers chat support, according to CBS News Atlanta's reporting. The NAMI Helpline is available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or by emailing [email protected].
