Matthew Gallagher
Toronto, ON
New Designer
Matthew Gallagher, an Italian-trained designer and illustrator, was born and raised in Amherst, Nova Scotia. Gallagher moved to Milan at 21 and enrolled in design school at Istituto Marangoni and completed his studies at Istituto Europeo di Design in 2012. It was in Milan where Gallagher crafted his fine attention for detail and his aesthetic evolved. Post graduation, Gallagher worked as a costume designer in Milan and Paris for Ubisoft. In 2015 and 2016, Gallagher was nominated by The Canadian Arts and Fashion awards for the Swarovski Emerging Talent award. More recently, Gallagher competed in the Toronto Fashion Incubator’s TFI New Labels competition, winning the grand prize for most promising new label.
Garment Inspiration
Matthew’s piece is inspired by Nova Scotia where he grew up near the water and the molded bodice represents the sand and cliffs while the movement of the sparkly fringe represents the shimmering of the water.