Katie Gallagher Presents F/W 2016 Collection, ‘Veiled,’ At NYFW

For her latest and fourteenth New York Fashion Week collection, ‘Veiled’, New-York based designer Katie Gallagher pays homage to her first ever full collection from SS10, ‘Veil’.

In an interview with The Knockturnal at the Roxy Hotel (formerly known as the Tribeca Grand Hotel, where Gallagher showed “Veil” in 2009), Gallagher credits her Catholic upbringing and Catholic elements –stained glass windows, gothic architecture, graveyards—as her main design inspiration. “My [high school] style was very Gothic Lolita,” Gallagher admits, explaining the roots of her signature dark and mystic style. ‘Veiled’ shows a desire to turn back to her earlier designs, with much of its inspirations drawn from ‘Veil’ and even includes reworked pieces from the earlier collection. Gallagher incorporates a more feminine touch into the current collection, which includes designs with sheer lace and intricately trimmed patterns that call to mind the complexities of medieval stained glass windows. Another defining feature in ‘Veiled’ is the pairing of twisted seams with velvet ribbons and zippers, which reflect the industrial feel of Chinatown, where Gallagher predominantly works in.

Gallagher keeps the ready-to-wear concept in mind while designing, and her signature pieces include her leggings and bodysuits— “pieces [Gallagher] would wear every day.” Gallagher expressed an interest to possibly turn her line onto the direction of active wear, as she has already expanded her designs to include swim items. At just 29, Gallagher has already amassed an impressive array of designs. It will be exciting to see how far Gallagher expands her line in the coming year.

-Katherine Wu