Hats are hot this season. Winter 2011 has more than a passion for headgear, and from the most avant-garde to the most understated, pieces have appeared in the collections of continental fashion houses, ladieswear wholesalers and wholesaler clothing manufacturers alike internationally. This sudden trend can be attributed to two key influences in the fashion news of the last year.
First, the return of old-school, high-octane glamour: 2011's signature style and the driving force behind almost every trend this season. Gone is the grunge from the high-end catwalk, replaced by the elegant sophistication of the forties or sixties – fur, pearls and other indulgences of luxury in the post-recession blues. Meanwhile, the other influence bears the hallmark of a particular Irish gentleman.
Born 1967, Philip Treacy OBE is one of the most influential figures in modern fashion. While his design work has been celebrated by celebrities, other designers, ladieswear wholesalers and wholesale clothing manufacturers internationally, he is a milliner first and foremost, and widely accepted to be one of the world's greatest. Though he studied fashion in 1985 at Dublin's National College of Art & Design, his specialism for headgear began merely as a hobby, before attracting the attention of wholesale clothing manufacturers internationally and winning him a place on the prestigious MA fashion design at the Royal College of Art in London.
Since graduating more than twenty years ago, Treacy has collaborated with some of the biggest names in fashion and design and, has received a slew of awards for his work, including, five separate British Accessory Designer of the Year wins at the British Fashion Awards. Clients have included Karl Lagerfeld, the late Alexander McQueen, Valentino, Ralph Lauren and other ladieswear wholesalers, as well as one-off commissions for Lady Gaga and Sarah Jessica Parker. Other work has included costuming for the hugely successful Harry Potter movie franchise.
Treacy's own beliefs reflect the surprisingly fresh nature of the trend - "I think and hope I have changed the way we look at hats. They are no longer symbols of conformity but highly individual acts of rebellion. I am constantly challenging the perception of what a hat should be and what role it should play." This attitude is certainly reflected in many of his more avant-garde creations. With the massive media coverage of Treacy's work in the last 18 months, from celebrity weddings to star-studded award shows and red-carpet ceremony, it's no surprise that he's influenced wholesale clothing manufacturers and ladieswear wholesalers across the world with his love of millinery.
