Biography
With careers spanning over ten years, Katie Hillier and her longtime collaborator Luella Bartley are widely regarded as pre-eminent designers and creatives. In May 2013, Hillier was appointed the creative director of Marc by Marc Jacobs , while Bartley was appointed womenswear design director. When Marc by Marc Jacobs closed in 2015, the two launched Hillier Bartley. In February 2017, Bartley was appointed head of global design for Calvin Klein Jeans.
A graduate in fashion from the University of Westminster in London, Hillier began her career in 1999 working alongside Luella Bartley on the latter's newly established brand, working on its range of accessories that included jewellery, bags and small leather goods. Their work together at Luella has often been credited as the start of the “It” bag movement in the early 2000s.
With the launch of her own studio, Hillier freelanced as a creative consultant for a number of brands, most notably Marc by Marc Jacobs where she has worked for over 9 years within the accessories division. In 2009, Katie was awarded Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards, and named one of the top 50 most ‘Influential People in Fashion’ in Elle magazines Fashion Power List. Shortly afterwards, the designer launched her own fine jewellery brand ‘Hillier London’ — a collection of quirky designs presented with the tagline “Luxury With a Wink”. The collection proved an instant hit with fashion insiders and in May 2013, ‘Hiller London’ launched an e-commerce shop to meet demand.