Paul Costelloe / London Fashion Week

Paul Costelloe

Dublin born Paul Costelloe is one of the most established names in British Fashion. With a strong sense of style and the desire to create wearable designs with a fresh feel, it is easy to see why Paul Costelloe has been the head of such a successful label for over 30 years.

In the late 1960s, Paul went to Paris and enrolled at the Chamber Syndicate, the French equivalent of the British Fashion Council. Typically dismissive of his formal training, Paul says he learnt most about fashion just by living in Paris in the era of Ungaro and Cardin. By 1969, still only 23 years old, he was design assistant to Jacques Esterel. Moving from the sublime to the commercial two years later, Paul became a designer with Marks & Spencer and was sent to train in Milan. M&S soon abandoned their assault on the Italians but Paul stayed on with La Renescente, the department store whose previous designers had included Georgio Armani. By the time he had added the USA to his CV, working first in New York and then in Philadelphia, Paul Costelloe had become an experienced designer. It was time to create his own label, which he did by moving back to Ireland in 1979. By 1994 the Paul Costelloe brand was established enough to have a flagship UK store in the heart of Knightsbridge.

Always practical and refreshingly free of pretension, Paul is also proud of having designed uniforms for national airlines such as Aer Lingus, British Airways and Delta Airlines, and sports teams such as the England Women's Cricket Team, Great British Federation Cup Women's Tennis Team and most recently designing the looks for the wives of the European Team at The Ryder Cup in Chicago this year. Presently Paul Costelloe continues to build his womenswear business in the U.K. and Ireland, supported by a rich diversity of product areas he continues to strengthen and emerge into, such as menswear, homewares, jewellery, handbags and corporate wear. Paul hopes to see the future of the brand as one where the Costelloe name continues to deepen its roots in the UK and Ireland whilst exploring new territories abroad to embrace the global prospects opening across the industry.
photo: Paul Costelloe Biography