Mela Hoyt-Heydon started her millinery journey in 1980, interning for theatrical milliner Lloyd Lambert. While at graduate school for costume design, her first work was on Vegas style headpieces for the Tropicana in Puerto Rico. She created historical millinery for the entertainment industry in the gaps between productions while working as a union costume designer and teaching costuming. Some of her work can be seen in such films as Titanic, Emma, Comanche Moon, Bolden, and Dangerous Liaisons.

 Mela became a full-time professor of theatre in 1991, heading up the Costume Design Program at Fullerton College. When she became Chairman of the Theatre Arts Department, she tapered off her outside design work and focused on millinery including a sabbatical to study with Rose Corey.

 In 2016 she opened Atelier Mela, a full-service millinery store and workshop in Fullerton, California. With major projects for Walt Disney Imagineering and film, Mela retired from Fullerton College in 2017.

In 2020, Atelier Mela moved to Salem, Oregon. Mela continues to design and create for Walt Disney Imagineering, having just completed the costumes and hats for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad in Disneyland and over 100 items for Fantasy Springs at Disney Tokyo Sea, Japan.