David Shilling

David Shilling was born in London and attended St Paul's School, London.{{Cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/david-shilling|title = Answers - the Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions|website = Answers.com}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.davidshilling.com/development.html|title=David Shilling - the world's most exclusive designer}} By the age of twelve he was designing hats and outfits for his mother, Gertrude, for her to wear to the Ascot horse races{{Cite web |last=Anstead |first=Mark |date=2003-10-04 |title=The Ascot hat designer who really got ahead |url=http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2003/oct/04/features.jobsmoney2 |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} until her death in 1999.{{Cite web |last=Sigee |first=Rachael |date=2014-06-09 |title='To get ahead, men need an outrageous hat' |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/to-get-ahead-men-need-an-outrageous-hat-9511619.html |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}} By the age of thirteen he was creating toys to sell at his local shop, and later, scarves and accessories to major British retailers such as Fenwick, Fortnum & Mason, and Liberty.

Shilling opened his first store in Marylebone High Street in 1976: two days after its opening the store received an order from a rock star's wife for twenty four hats.

His first collection was purchased in America by Bloomingdale's; and other stores began selling his creations soon afterwards. In the late 1970s Bergdorf Goodman charged up to $3,000 for a David Shilling hat.

BBC British TV series "Arena" created a film on Shilling titled How to Get Ahead in Fashion (1980).{{Cite web |title=Milliner David Shilling |url=https://www.rte.ie//archives/2020/0817/1159551-milliner-david-shilling/ |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=RTÉ Archives |language=en}}

In 1988, he was invited by the USSR to show his hats during the first Miss USSR Pageant in Moscow, the first live TV broadcast throughout the USSR.{{Cite web |title=David Shilling: Single events and specific projects |url=http://www.davidshilling.com/services/servicesspecial.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621140329/http://www.davidshilling.com/services/servicesspecial.html |archive-date=21 June 2010 |access-date=12 April 2010}} In 1990, he headed a successful mission for the United Nations in Ecuador which led to other projects as an art and design ambassador with the UN in Africa and Asia.

Shilling eventually stopped wholesale hat-making and moved to producing only made-to-order garments.

He designed the emblem for Britain's Festival of Arts and Culture in 1994; due to this he became a driving force behind the new "Cool Britannia" re-branding of Britain.{{Cite web |title=David Shilling - from Ascot to Monaco |url=http://www.couttswoman.com/2008/may/features/david-shilling.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107031542/http://www.couttswoman.com/2008/may/features/david-shilling.asp |archive-date=7 January 2010 |access-date=12 April 2010}} His designs for theatre, opera, ballet, film and TV formed an exhibition at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1998.{{Cite web |title=David Shilling - the world's most exclusive designer |url=http://www.davidshilling.com/uptonow.html}}

In 2007 he displayed the first of an expected ten collections of hats (each priced at £1,000,000) at Top Marques Monaco.{{Cite web |url=http://www.couttswoman.com/2008/may/features/david-shilling.asp |title=David Shilling - from Ascot to Monaco |access-date=12 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107031542/http://www.couttswoman.com/2008/may/features/david-shilling.asp |archive-date=7 January 2010 |url-status=dead}} In November 2009 he held his first show in mainland China at the Ritz-Carlton in Beijing. His work encompasses all areas of art, fashion and design, outdoor sculpture, jewellery, men's and ladies' bespoke clothing, accessories, home furnishings, theatre, ballet, opera and interior design.

In 2010, a hat with diamonds created by David in the late 1970s was nominated by the Guinness World Records as the most expensive hat in the world in the 21st century. He previewed a collection of hats designed for men at the Embassy of Monaco, London in 2012. In 2021, he applied to join a ten-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in a mixed crew of professional and privately funded astronauts.{{Cite news |last= |first= |date= |title=Rocket man: meet the £40m space tourist |language=en |work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/rocket-man-meet-the-40m-space-tourist-twt6r9txp |access-date=2021-02-12 |issn=0140-0460}}

Shilling has worked with many charities, including Consortium for Street Children for whom he designed their logo & helped organise their launch at 10 Downing Street, World Horse Welfare and the Darwin Centre, Natural History Museum, London. He is a patron of Action on Addiction and created a millinery course for HM Prison, The Mount.

He currently lives in Monaco.

• 2005: a series of {{convert|40|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} stainless steel and aluminium sculptures collectively called "Hope" were installed atop Primrose Hill in London's Regent's Park as part of "Discover - Positive Elements of Life".
• 2018: he launched World Yacht Party, a collection of music videos and recordings.

• Metropolitan Museum of Art{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Met Museum Collections|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/93890|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110044213/https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/93890 |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.metmuseum.org}} (New York)
• Philadelphia Museum of Art{{Cite web|title=Philadelphia Museum of Art - Collections Object : Woman's Hat: The Cocktail Hat|url=https://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/89169.html?mulR=943677359%7C1|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.philamuseum.org}}
• Los Angeles County Museum{{Cite web|title=Woman's Cartwheel Hat {{!}} LACMA Collections|url=https://collections.lacma.org/node/252160|access-date=2021-02-12|website=collections.lacma.org}}
• The Louvre's Musée des Arts Décoratifs
• Victoria and Albert Museum (London){{Cite web|last=Museum|first=Victoria and Albert|title=Hat {{!}} David Shilling {{!}} V&A Explore The Collections|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O357629/hat-david-shilling/|access-date=2021-02-12|website=Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections|language=en}}
• British Government Art Collection Acrylic on Canvas (London){{Cite web|title=AUTH9376 Archives|url=https://artcollection.culture.gov.uk/person/shilling-david/|access-date=2021-02-12|website=Government Art Collection|language=en-GB}}
• Holdenby House Steel Sculptures (Northampton, England){{Cite web |url=http://www.holdenby.com/rpmServer/generatorSystem/asp/rpmServer_GoGenerate.asp?intSiteID=15&intPageID=33&intNavbarOpen_Level1_ID=12 |title=- David Shilling |access-date=12 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523203736/http://www.holdenby.com/rpmServer/generatorSystem/asp/rpmServer_GoGenerate.asp?intSiteID=15&intPageID=33&intNavbarOpen_Level1_ID=12 |archive-date=23 May 2009 |url-status=dead}}

{{reflist}}

• {{official website|http://www.davidshilling.com}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shilling, David}}

Category:Living people

Category:British expatriates in Monaco

Category:British milliners

Category:People educated at St Paul's School, London

Category:1949 births