Don O'Neill (born 1966) is an Irish fashion designer. He was born in the seaside village of

Ballyheigue Ballyheigue ( ), officially Ballyheige ( - meaning ''Settlement of Tadhg'') is a coastal village in County Kerry, Ireland. It is approximately north of Tralee on the R551. It is a scenic locale which forms part of the Wild Atlantic Way and h ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

, Ireland. Initially training as a chef, O’Neill was able to study to be a fashion designer, his true passion, after winning a full tuition scholarship to the Barbara Bourke College of Fashion Design. After traveling the world and working for famous designers and fashion houses such as

Christian Lacroix Christian Marie Marc Lacroix (; born 16 May 1951) is a French fashion designer. The name may also refer to the company he founded. Lacroix's designs combine luxury and insouciance. He prefers artisanal trades, fringe, bead, and embroidery. He's ...

, he arrived in New York, where he spent ten years working with evening-wear designer

Carmen Marc Valvo Carmen Marc Valvo (born July 3, 1963) is an American designer who specializes in evening wear and high-end cocktail dresses for a line of the same name, founded in 1989. He also has an eyewear collection, a lingerie collection, a swimsuit line ...

and three years as head of the

Badgley Mischka Badgley Mischka is an American fashion label designed by Mark Badgley (born January 12, 1961 in East St. Louis, MO) and James Mischka (born December 23, 1960 in Burlington, WI). Their collections are said to be largely influenced by the style of ...

diffusion label. In 2009, THEIA was launched. The collection is a manifestation of Don's vision to bring out every woman's inner goddess. O'Neill currently serves as the Creative Director of the label. He has dressed

Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...

at the 2013

Grammys The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

and

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...

at the 2012

Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

References

External links

Theia Official Site
Irish fashion designers 1966 births Living people {{fashion-bio-stub