Hat Designer Philip Treacy Bio

Hat Designer Philip Treacy Bio Host: Irish born designer Philip Treacy has created some of the world’s most outrageous, dramatic and dazzling hats and headpieces continually wowing his fans. Born in a small village of County Galway west of island, Treacy began experimenting with clothing and design from a very young age often creating outfits and hats for his sister’s doll. By the mid- 1980s, he had moved to Dublin to study at the National College of Art and Design where he began designing hats as an extra interest. After a few years of study, Treacy took one of his designs to a fashion magazine director and its editor Isabella Blow. It was after meeting Isabella that his career catapulted. As an international style icon, Isabella was the muse for many up and coming designers and was often credited with discovering models and designers, one being Treacy. After graduating college with honors, Treacy set up shop in Isabella’s basement and was soon working with some of the biggest haute couture houses including Channel, Valentino and Alexander McQueen. The millionaire and creator of fantasy hats is now a five-time winner of the British Accessory Designer of the Year Award having won them all during the 1990s. 1996 was the first time Treacy had put on a show in New York even though his hats had appeared in the collections of some of the greatest designers. And he couldn’t have had a much better welcome, the audience lapped up his work. In 1998, the Irish hat designer stunned audiences with his style and version of femininity. He received a standing ovation after presenting a stunning array of hats and headpieces to a pact audience of international buyers and journalists at London Fashion week with porcupine spines, elegant feathers and stiff netting to create a dramatic 1998 Autumn-Winter collection. Drawing inspiration from the planets, hats sculpted from luminescent materials glow as the lights were dimmed, and for Treacy designing practical hats was not a major concern. His 1999 show was just as spectacular with design featuring feathers, spikes and fluorescent plastic hanging mobiles with the piece that sits on a towering fantasy castle. 2002 saw Treacy’s creations displayed in an exhibition at the design museum in London. The show was dedicated to his good friend and muse Isabella Blow and showcased the beautiful and intricate works he created for her during the 1990s. Some of his works have been described as surreal where as others have been called sculptures. But it’s not just his designs that attract people, it’s his use of vibrant colors. In 2007, Alexander McQueen along with Treacy, turned his Paris haute couture show into an emotional tribute to Isabella who sadly passed. Models paraded in her signature look of radical tailoring paired with Treacy’s outlandish hats and mind-blowing headgear with the cluster of red butterflies and the glittering black lace visor. Treacy credited Isabella with inventing his and McQueen’s careers. Philip Treacy: Fashion is about many things but also, it’s about an emotion. And sometimes, there’s a human aspect involved and she was somebody who loves fashion and she loves him, and she believes in his creativity when nobody did. So, it was a very emotional experience for all of us. But, she was the least sentimental person I knew and she would have had no time for any sentiment. Host: The two also helped Sex in the City’s Sarah Jessica Parker to wow crowds when she turned up for the premier of her film wearing McQueen’s gown and Treacy’s unusual design that photographers couldn’t get enough off. His designs are unusual and creative but he’s a genius at what he does. Having come from a small town, he experimented with anything he could from different materials to feathers from his mother’s chickens. He’s not scared of trying new designs, but it’s his bravery and commitment that has made him a major player in the world of accessories and fashion.