Philip Treacy is one of the most influential milliners working today. He studied at the Royal College of Art, where his work first came to the notice of Vogue editor Michael Roberts. On graduating in 1990 Treacy went on to establish his own atelier, encouraged by the fashion editor Isabella Blow who was a great advocate and inspiration for his work. Treacy has collaborated with many significant fashion houses but his best known for his own intricately made, often flamboyant, couture creations. In 2007 he was awarded an OBE.
Treacy was inspired to make his first 'orchid' hats when he visited the Singapore National Orchid Gardens in 1999. He has said that 'in many ways the orchid's anatomy revolutionised my perception of beautyand therefore has had a profound effect on my designs' (Wonderland: the Mystery of the Orchid', Auckland Museum, 2009). On his return to Europe he was invited to show at Paris haute couture week and in January 2000 he became the first hat designer to show there for 80 years. His inaugural haute couture collection was inspired by the orchids he had seen in Singapore.