About Brian
BIOGRAPHY
Brian's love for fashion began at an early age when the Chicago-born designer would find himself fixated on his mother's clothing and accessories. Brian went on to study art and architecture at Southern Illinois University before trading in the Midwest for the capital of the fashion world, New York City.
It was there, at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), that he took his passion for fashion design to the next level. Upon graduation, Brian moved to Europe and would spend the next seven years as a sought after runway model. In his free time Brian would sketch shoes in what would become the start of his namesake brand.
While in Milan, Brian was discovered by the late Gianni Versace and was the first American designer hired by the fashion house in 1996. At Versace, he was the head designer of accessories, where he mastered the intricacies of footwear design. Accolades like these led to his appointment as Creative Director of Bally from 2007 to 2009. During this time he successfully helped to revitalize the storied Swiss brand before leaving to focus solely on designing under his own label.
Since launching Brian Atwood in 2001, his collections have been globally coveted for exquisite craftsmanship and hyperluxe design and detail. Loved by women around the world for his fearless silhouettes and sky-high heels, Brian infuses glamour, lust and desire into everything he designs. Brian is loved by fashion industry insiders and Hollywood celebrities alike, who have made his shoes a fixture on the red carpet. With a true passion for the details of design, Brian runs his business with boutique sensibility, overseeing every design drawn, material selected, construction detail and factory production.
Brian is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and has been honored with the CFDA Swarovski Perry Ellis Award for Best Accessory Design and the Footwear News "Designer of the Year" Award; B Brian Atwood was awarded "Launch of the Year" from Footwear News in 2011.
Brian resides in New York City and Milan, Italy where his design studio is located.