Monique Ribeiro and her mother Margaret Chaterier are fully committed to giving something back to the community.

Their business ethos is about more than simply making a profit, they want to help Croydon as well.

Monique said: "We care about the community we work in. We're here to give opinion and to help."

Despite the stresses of running their own business, Monique and Margaret still found time to organise a recent Tea Dance at the Selsdon Park Hotel in Addington Road, which raised money for the St Christopher's Hospice.

They enlisted special guest star Karen Hardy from the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing show.

Monique added: "Where possible we like to promote awareness and make a difference to local charities."

The pair run a family business that provides originally designed hats from their base in Laud Street, Croydon.

Through Hatz Limited, which was established in 2000, they aim to assist Croydon's development as a commercial hot spot'.

Margaret said: "We're huge on wanting to promote Croydon, as retail is one of the largest economies in the borough."

Both Monique and Margaret, who trained at the renowned Central Saint Martin's College, were part of the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) proposal steering committee.

Thanks to theirs' and others' efforts a grant of £77m was awarded to Croydon over a three year period. They hope some of this money will be used to create a design centre for creative industries in the borough.

"We both passionately want to see a design centre come to Croydon as part of the LEGI money and will be working hard to make sure this happens. "

Their caring community spirit is never more in evidence than in their dedication to education and training.

They are offering a unique apprenticeship opportunity to two young people looking for an NVQ qualification in retail.

The winners will work alongside the pair and receiving millinery training from the two expert designers.

The importance of passing on their knowledge to others is integral to the vision of their business.

"For children who don't get to go down the university route, this gives them the opportunity to work, build confidence, get qualifications and go on to the future," Margaret added.

Hatz, which has a concession in Croydon department store Allders, believe that the customer always comes first.

Monique said: "Our service is more concerned with the customer than the hat, we will work to the customer's budget and style."

The designers created a manufactured range as they are aware that custom made clothing is out of many people's price range. However, no two hats in the manufactured range are identical.

Monique and Margaret aim to add a touch of "glamour and sophistication" to the ladies of the borough.

Since their launch in 2000 the growth of Hatz has been rapid and they are now looking to open a number of boutiques abroad.

For more information visit hatz bymoniqueandmargaret.com.