{{short description|New Zealand fashion designer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Emilia Wickstead | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing brackets --> | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = June {{Birth year and age|1983}} | birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) --> | death_place = | other_names = | education = Central Saint Martins | occupation = fashion designer | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = for Samantha Cameron, The Princess of Wales | mother = Angela Wickstead | awards = Red Carpet Designer of the Year Award (2014) }} '''Emilia Wickstead''' (born June 1983) is a New Zealand fashion designer based in London, England. In 2014 she won the Red Carpet Designer of the Year Award at the Elle Style Awards, and her clients include Samantha Cameron and the Princess of Wales.
== Early life == [[File:National Day of Prayer (33889395198).jpg|thumb|Melania Trump in a forest green Emilia Wickstead crepe dress, May 2019]] Wickstead was born in June 1983,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06449036/officers|title=Wickstead Gargiulo Limited Officers (free information from Companies House)|author=|date=|website=beta.companieshouse.gov.uk|accessdate=19 March 2018}}</ref> in Auckland, New Zealand, to Angela Wickstead, a designer with a boutique in Parnell.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/fashion/78018574/fashion-designer-emilia-wickstead-shares-how-she-broke-into-the-business|title=How Emilia Wickstead conquered fashion|website=Stuff|date=17 March 2016|access-date=2016-05-18}}</ref> At the age of 14, she moved to Milan, Italy, with her mother.<ref name=":0" /> Wickstead studied fashion design and marketing at Central Saint Martins art school in London and interned in New York at Giorgio Armani and ''Vogue'' magazine.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.vogue.com/867685/london-calling-who-is-emilia-wickstead/|title=London Calling: Who Is <br/>Emilia Wickstead?|last=Mower|first=Sarah|website=Vogue|date=4 June 2013|language=en-US|access-date=2016-05-18}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thearts.co.nz/artists/emilia-wickstead|title=Emilia Wickstead|date=2015-09-26|website=The Arts Foundation|access-date=2016-05-18}}</ref>
== Career == At the age of 24, Wickstead's boyfriend gave her £5,000 to start her business. She created a small collection of clothes and held showings for family and friends in her living room, taking orders for made-to-measure items.<ref name=":1" /> Her work was featured in ''Tatler'' and UK ''Vogue'' magazines, and she was able to expand, opening a store in Belgravia, and employing a team of seamstresses.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> She had her first showing at London Fashion Week in 2012, and holds shows and consultations in New Zealand, New York and Milan.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers_profile.aspx?DesignerID=1834 |title=Emilia Wickstead |website=London Fashion Week |access-date=2016-05-18}}</ref>
Wickstead's style has been described as "graceful", "understated elegance" and her choice of colours as "pretty but not saccharine".<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vogue.com/3056081/emilia-wickstead-american-debut/|title=From Kate Middleton to Young Hollywood: Emilia Wickstead Brings Sloane Square Style to the Red Carpet|last=Codinha|first=Alessandra|website=Vogue|date=16 October 2014|access-date=2016-05-18}}</ref> Among those who have worn her designs are Catherine, Princess of Wales,<ref name=":0"/><ref name=Tel>{{cite news |first=Lisa |last=Armstrong |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/style/emilia-wickstead-new-designs-for-air-new-zealand/ |title=Emilia Wickstead just designed Air New Zealand's new cabin crew uniforms |newspaper=Daily Telegraph |date=10 April 2025 |access-date=11 April 2025 }}</ref> Samantha Cameron<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Ella |last=Alexander |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/emilia-wickstead-on-dressing-samantha-cameron |title=Emilia's Political Muse |magazine=Vogue |location=UK |date=27 May 2010 |access-date=11 April 2025 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10655436|title=Profile: Emilia Wickstead|last=Walker|first=Zoe|date=2010-07-01|newspaper=New Zealand Herald|language=en-NZ|issn=1170-0777|access-date=2016-05-18}}</ref> and Melania Trump.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/melania-trump-wears-emilia-wickstead-campaign-speech-pennsylvania-943877/ |title=Melania Trump Wears $889 Blouse for Campaign Speech in Pennsylvania |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=3 November 2016 |access-date=11 April 2025 }}</ref> In May 2018, Wickstead claimed that the wedding dress of Meghan Markle was "identical" to one of her designs.<ref>{{cite web |first=Sarah |last=Jones |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/emilia-wickstead-meghan-markle-wedding-dress-copy-identical-givenchy-clare-waight-keller-a8370396.html|title=Kate Middleton's favourite fashion designer rips into Meghan Markle's wedding dress|website=The Independent|date=26 May 2018|accessdate=28 May 2018}}</ref>
In November 2023, Air New Zealand announced that Wickstead would be their "future uniform designer".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beckett |first=Tyson |date=2023-11-06 |title=Air New Zealand reveals royal favourite Emilia Wickstead to design new uniforms |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/301000501/air-new-zealand-reveals-royal-favourite-emilia-wickstead-to-design-new-uniforms |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=Stuff }}</ref> The new crew uniforms, with prints designed by Māori artist Te Rangitu Netana, were introduced in April 2025.<ref name=Tel/><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Lisa |last=Lockwood |url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/emilia-wickstead-air-new-zealand-new-uniforms-1237082434/ |title=Emilia Wickstead Designs New Uniforms for Air New Zealand |magazine=WWD |date=10 April 2025 |access-date=11 April 2025 }}</ref>
=== Recognition === * Shortlisted for the BFC/''Vogue'' Fashion Fund in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 * Shortlisted for a British Fashion Award for New Establishment Designer in 2014 and 2015 * Won the Walpole Award for Brands of Tomorrow 2015 * Shortlisted for the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award 2015 * Won ''Elle'' magazine's Style Award for Red Carpet Designer of the Year 2014<ref name=":0"/> * BFC Fashion Trust recipient 2014.<ref name=":3" />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{commonscat inline}} *[https://emiliawickstead.com/ Official website]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wickstead, Emilia}} Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century New Zealand people Category:Designers from Auckland Category:Alumni of Central Saint Martins Category:New Zealand fashion designers Category:New Zealand women fashion designers Category:New Zealand businesspeople