Even as her collections garnered notice, Gallagher’s practice remained largely DIY. “She was a person where failure wasn’t an option ever. [Fashion is] a public field and I think that she thought that if she didn’t deliver a collection at some point, she would have screwed up,” said Saveliev. “I think that she didn’t want to disappoint herself, she would consider it losing… She was always broke, but she’d be able to make a collection no matter what, because she could make the patterns, she could sew everything, she could finish everything, she could embroider—she’d always save her hand sewing for when she’d go and visit her parents, she’d just sit on the Greyhound bus [and sew]. She could do everything by herself, she just had to put in the time.” And she always did, Gallagher presented her 19th collection for spring 2019.
“I hope that younger designers who look to her for inspiration will take this lesson from her giant portfolio of work: That it will always pay off to be true to your vision, to keep your hands close to the process, which Katie did, her hands were always torn up from sewing layers of leather or such materials,” Zilberman said.
Gabi Asfour sees the current athleisure trend as one of Gallagher’s legacies. “Now every company does active and has this type of construction. I think she was a great influencer in the industry and she inspired a lot of people.” She did so not only through her work, but by the force of her personality. “She was glamorous and eccentric,” added Asfour. “I liked that she was also athletic, she took care of her health and she was kind of punk, but she was also very sweet; shy, but intelligent… When she got along with somebody, it was kind of like an explosion of expression, because she was so introverted.”
It’s the combination of introversion and passion that led photographer William Eadon—who was working with Gallagher on what would have been her spring 2023 collection, and who has generously shared the street-cast images they were creating together—to describe her as a beautiful contradiction. “Katie was a great listener,” he said. “I felt heard by her.”
