This Offbeat Designer Is A Huge Hit With Daphne Guinness and Nicola Formichetti

“When I was young, I hated wearing clothes, but always wore my cat, Thomas, on my head.” (This may be more standard in her rural Pennsylvania hometown, but we’re guessing Katie was always unconventional.) Honing her design skills with a BFA in apparel design from RISD, she interned with Anna Sui and threeASFOUR, presenting a controversial senior thesis collection done entirely in black. She showed her first collection for SS10 at New York Fashion Week in September 2009, and has been an up-and-coming player on the fashion scene ever since. The Katie Gallagher line is stocked at high-end stores around the world, including H. Lorenzo in West Hollywood, PN/P in Florence, and LN-CC in London.

Tell us how you got your job.
“I launched my own line right after graduating from RISD in May 2009. I showed my first collection (SS10) during New York Fashion Week in September 2009.

What moments on the job do you find most rewarding?
“Figuring out a pattern that looks exactly like what I’ve drawn — and sometimes better!”

Hands down, best professional advice you ever got:
“Work harder than you think anyone else is working.”

What skill or habit do you think is vital for success?
“Discipline and endurance.”

Who’s your working girl inspiration?
“Introduce me to one, please!” (We’re on it, Katie!)