Deborah Milner

Deborah Milner (born 1964) Whilst she gained a reputation among fashion insiders as a creative designer who used unusual materials, including a skirt made from film negatives and garments using wire and steel mesh filters, and was recognised for the superb cut of her clothing, she was not immediately successful. Eventually, whilst sharing a studio with Philip Treacy, Milner became principally a designer of wedding dresses. Renault subsequently donated the dress and accessories to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

In 1997, a purple velvet Milner evening coat was chosen by Isabella Blow as part of her selection of garments representing 1997 in the Fashion Museum, Bath's Dress of the Year collection, alongside designs by Treacy, Hussein Chalayan, Julien MacDonald, and Lainey Keogh. Blow also owned a red velvet coat by Milner that she wore in a photograph that would later be the lead image for a posthumous exhibition of her wardrobe at Somerset House in 2013. Daphne Guinness, Blow's friend and organiser of the exhibition, told Vogue that she thought the coat "epitomised Isabella, somehow," hence the decision to use it as the main publicity image.

In 1998, Milner designed a Dior-inspired purple corset-bodice dress for Helena Bonham Carter to wear to the Oscars. Bonham Carter later commented "I've never before attached that much importance to what I wear. Now it's monumental," after having her dress praised by Newsday and Vogue. That same year, Donatella Versace signed Milner up to head up a design studio at Versace.

The Victoria & Albert Museum showed her work in 1999 as part of the Fashion in Motion project, describing Milner as a 'leading British designer' in accompanying publicity.

2000s Growing "disillusioned" with fashion design, Milner took a career break in 2000, and lived in Brazil for a while, while trying to decide how she could become involved in environmental and social issues, eventually realising that she could combine these with her fashion design skills. The outfit drew media attention, with The Telegraph praising it and the matching Treacy hat and Nicholas Kirkwood shoes as chic, but criticising the 'matchy-matchy' nature of the additional accessories. As of 2012-13, Milner is head of the Alexander McQueen couture studio under Sarah Burton's direction, and had previously collaborated with Alexander McQueen before his death.