Peter Pilotto: Who is the designer that made Princess Beatrice's wedding dress?
The label is renowned for its vibrant and contemporary designs
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Your support makes all the difference.After months of speculation, it was revealed on Friday that Princess Eugenie had chosen Peter Pilotto to design her wedding gown for her nuptials to Jack Brooksbank.
The British fashion label is renowned for its playful colour palette and flattering silhouettes, making it a refreshing choice for a royal wedding gown, which is synonymous with more modest styles that can leave little room for sartorial flare.
Eugenie’s gown defied convention thanks to its off-the-shoulder neckline, a look favoured by the Duchess of Sussex, and its low-back, which was incorporated into the design at the Princess’s request so as to reveal the scars from her scoliosis surgery.
The choice of Pilotto remained a well-kept secret until the wedding day itself, with other British designers like Erdem and Burberry leading the way in fashion’s perpetually-bustling rumour mill up until the very last moment.
Here’s everything you need to know about Peter Pilotto.
Who is Peter Pilotto?
The man himself is a half-Austrian, half-Italian designer who runs his namesake label alongside Christopher De Vos, who hails from Belgium.
They met while studying at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 2000 and launched the brand in 2007 as a UK-based business to instant acclaim from fashion insiders.
In addition to being awarded NewGen sponsorship from the British Fashion Council, the label also won Swarovski’s Emerging Talent award in 2010 and was awarded the prestigious BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund prize in 2014.
The label is now sold in more than 49 countries across the world and its bi-annual runway show is a highlight at London Fashion Week, often touting a number of high-profile celebrities on the front row such as Olivia Palermo and Samantha Cameron.
The brand now runs its operations from an office in East London.
What’s the brand’s signature ‘look’?
Craftsmanship takes centre stage at Peter Pilotto, whose designs continue to champion bold, graphic prints and flowing, nymph-like fabrics that accentuate the delicacy and grace of the female form.
The label’s most recent collection, for spring/summer 2019, was awash with flashy disco golds, convivial tiki patterns and light sheathes of satin that would make even the most forward-thinking of millennials want to reverse the clocks and dive right into Pilotto’s nostalgic fantasy.
Off the runway, Pilotto is mostly known for its statement pieces, from stiff power jackets to flowing, waterfall-pleated skirts.
How did Princess Eugenie come to choose Peter Pilotto to design her wedding dress?
Eugenie has been wearing the brand for years and first met De Vos and Pilotto at a charity event in support of the Artemis Council for Women Artists, which she was co-hosting.
The 28-year-old royal worked closely with the two designers to design the gown, which saw both of them undertaking extensive archive research into royal wedding dresses from history.
From there, they identified the desired silhouette and constructed the gown layer by layer, from the corset and its complex underskirt to its folded neckline and flowing train.
Which celebrities wear Peter Pilotto?
Alexa Chung, Kylie Minogue and Gabrielle Union are just some of the celebrity fans of the brand.
However, its most notable follower is undoubtedly Beyoncé, who made headlines in June for wearing a girlish satin suit by Peter Pilotto for her Apesh*t music video, which also starred the singer’s husband, Jay-Z.
The ‘Crazy in Love’ singer has also worn the label on tour.
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