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Patricia (Pat) McDonagh, fashion designer (born 17 March 1935 in Manchester, England; died 31 March 2014 in Toronto, ON). Pat McDonagh was known for her avant-garde design techniques and sense of youthful romanticism. (See also Fashion Design in Canada.)
Pat McDonagh
Pat McDonagh, fashion designer, 21 February 2014.
(Colin McConnell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Education and Early Career
Following both a BA and MA in languages at Manchester University in the United Kingdom and the Sorbonne in Paris, Pat McDonagh made her name designing costumes for Diana Rigg in the original Avengers television series and for The Beatles. After stints as a model and television personality, McDonagh moved to Canada to launch her eponymous label. (See also Immigration to Canada.)
Career Highlights
With her red carpet-worthy designs, Pat McDonagh has seen her pieces grace many celebrities, including songstresses Ella Fitzgerald, Amy Sky and Carol Welsman, television personalities Diana Rigg and Tracy Melchor, actresses Deborah Kara Unger, Maria del Mar, Cher, Wendy Crewson, Miriam McDonald and Thea Gill, Miss Universe Natalie Glebova (2005), prima ballerina Veronica Tennant, HRH the late Diana Princess of Wales and The Beatles. Most recently, McDonagh was the preferred label of Michaëlle Jean, former governor general of Canada, when she welcomed President Barack Obama to Canada.
In 2009, Pat McDonagh partnered with ice cream brand Baskin-Robbins to create a collection of outfits linked to the "BRight Choices" dessert line. The collection debuted at Toronto Fashion Week for the Spring 2010 shows and displayed the first partnership between a food and fashion brand on the Canadian runway.
McDonagh was also affiliated with several philanthropic causes including the Dare to Wear Love charity auction fashion show, the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace initiative (VOW), the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) and the annual White Cashmere runway show which benefits the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Honours and Awards
Over the years, Pat McDonagh received several awards, including the New York Times award for design excellence (1982), the prestigious American Legend Fur Award in Frankfurt, Germany, the Judy Award for her long-standing contribution to the Canadian fashion industry (1992), the Majestic Mink Award (1994), five World Bureau Awards (1975), best shoe design at the Bata Shoe Museum (2000), the Matinee International Award (2002), the NAFA Fur Award (2002), and most notably the Lifetime Achievement Award presented at Toronto Fashion Week (2003) by the Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC).
