Monika Tilley

Monika Tilley (July 25, 1934 – December 23, 2020) was an Austrian-born American designer noted for designing loungewear and activewear. Many of her designs were featured on models in publications including the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues. She focused on functional design and some of her designs were considered racy and provocative for their times. She was a founding member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and two time recipient of the Coty American Fashion Critics' Award in the swimwear category.

Early life Tilley was born Monika Theresia Nowotny in Vienna, Austria, to Margarete (née Kinateder) and Franz Nowotny. Her father worked with the government in the department of agriculture, while her mother was a school teacher teaching English and physical education. She completed her master's degree from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna despite her father's reservations against art being a viable career. She went to the United States on a grant from UNICEF and decided to stay back in New York and work in the fashion industry. Her parents were not pleased with her decision to stay back and are noted to have repeatedly called the consulate to have her return including asking them to "extradite her". She went on to create a line of designs for athlete Caitlyn Jenner during her time as a track athlete in the 1970s. She also designed the parade and honors uniforms for the United States' 1980 and 1984 Winter Olympics teams.

She worked for brands like White Stag, Anne Klein, and Anne Cole before going on to start her own company Monika Tilley Inc. with clients including Levi Strauss & Co. She was a recipient of two Coty American Fashion Critics' Awards in the swimwear category. She was a founding member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and remained an emeritus member of the board.

Personal life Tilley (then Nowotny) married her husband, Merten Arthur Tilley in 1957, with the wedding taking place at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. She had met Tilley when she was studying in Vienna. The couple would return and settle in Forest Hills, Queens.

Tilley died on December 23, 2020, in Manhattan, New York. She had been hospitalized earlier after suffering from multiple strokes. She was 86.