Quick Facts
GeminiBiography
Philip Treacy OBE (born 26 May 1967) is an Irish milliner and designer based in London.
Early life
Philip Treacy was born on 26 May 1967 in Ahascragh, in County Galway in the West of Ireland. He moved to Dublin in 1985 to study fashion at the National College of Art and Design, where he made hats to go with outfits he designed. From there, in 1988, Treacy won a place on the MA fashion design course at the Royal College of Art in London, where he graduated in 1990 with first class honours.
In 1989 he took one of his hats to Michael Roberts, fashion editor of Tatler magazine, and his style editor, Isabella Blow. Blow asked Treacy to make a hat for her to wear for her wedding, and invited him to live with her and her husband Detmar in their home, from which Treacy started working.
Career
Isabella Blow not only helped Treacy to launch his millinery career, but famously wore many of his hats herself. One of Treacy's hats was chosen by Blow as part of her selection for the 1997 Dress of the Year, alongside a purple coat designed by Deborah Milner with whom Treacy shared a studio at the time.
Philip Treacy has designed hats for Alexander McQueen, including his white collection for Givenchy Haute Couture, for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, and for Valentino, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan.
He has designed hats for various films, including the Harry Potter films.Sarah Jessica Parker wore one of his designs to the Sex and the City film première. He has also designed hats worn by Lady Gaga. One of his notable designs for her was, a telephone-shaped headpiece with removable handset, worn for her appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in 2010.
Thirty-six hats designed by Treacy were worn at the Royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011, including the fascinator worn by Princess Beatrice of York that was controversial.
In addition to his millinery Treacy was design director of the g Hotel in Galway, in 2005.
Awards
Treacy was awarded the title of British Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards on five occasions during the early 1990s.
He was awarded an honorary OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to the British fashion industry by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at a ceremony in Clarence House in November 2007. Treacy designed the headdress worn by the Duchess of Cornwall for the couple's wedding.
In popular culture
In 2010 Treacy was one of six contemporary, internationally renowned Irish fashion designers featured on a set of Irish postage stamps issued by An Post. The other designers featured were Paul Costelloe, Louise Kennedy, John Rocha, Lainey Keogh and Orla Kiely.