Who is Peter Pilotto? Everything you need to know about the team behind Princess Eugenie's weddi

Princess Eugenie wearing Peter Pilotto

When Princess Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle on 12 October 2018, she, like another very famous recent royal bride, surprised everyone with her choice of designer. Although many expected her to wear Erdem or Vivienne Westwood, both being British labels that she had been photographed in before, the royal instead opted for the lesser-known London Fashion Week favourite, Peter Pilotto.

The label – which is headed up by Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos – was founded in 2007 and is known for its signature prints and elegant, structured shapes. Although it might a less high-profile label than some of the brands that she was expected to wear are, that could all be about to change for the designer duo.

Here, we round up everything you need to know about the British brand.

Two designers, not one, head up the label

Despite the brand being named after Peter Pilotto, the label is actually headed up by two designers, not one.

The reason for this unusual decision is that the label was launched initially by Pilotto alone, but it wasn't long before de Vos joined him at the brand. They had planned to change the name when he joined, Pilotto said, but it just never happened.

"It just didn't work," Pilotto told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015. "So we stayed with this."

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The designers are not British

Just as with Meghan Markle and unlike Kate Middleton, Eugenie did not choose a British designer from a British fashion house. While Meghan chose a French fashion house fronted by a British woman to create her wedding gown, Eugenie opted for a British house that is fronted by two non-Brits.

Pilotto is Austrian-Italian, while his partner de Vos hails from Belgium and Peru. The two designers actually met while studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, but chose to start their label in London.

Peter Pilotto spring/summer 2013

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They launched the label in 2007

After studying together and being in a romantic relationship for a number of years, Pilotto and de Vos eventually decided to set up a label together, but the latter needed a little convincing.

The duo decided to take slightly different paths when they graduated. Pilotto was getting a lot of interest in his graduate collections, while de Vos wanted to get some experience in the industry and ended up landing a job in London working for Vivienne Westwood. However, after setting up the brand alone, Pilotto managed to convince de Vos to come and join him at the label.

"It was like, 'So let’s do this together now,'" Pilotto told Man Repeller. "I was kind of threatening him because I knew it would be good for him to [start the line]. Obviously, it was scary to leave the job and we had the tiniest support from our parents. They were maybe paying our rent and that was about it."

Estrop//Getty Images

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The duo presented their first collection in 2007, which turned heads for their use of digital printing. It was an instant hit with critics, meaning that they received start-up support and studio space from the Centre for Fashion Enterprise in London. As well as this, they gained much-needed exposure after being featured in the Vauxhall Fashion Scout showcase. They then received the Swarovski Emerging Talent Award in 2010.

From here, the label went from strength to strength.

The brand is known for its prints

Peter Pilotto is most famous for its punchy prints, which are created digitally, a process which was first developed in the '90s and refined in the '00s so that designers could easily print patterns onto luxury fabrics.

Although a focus on digital printing wasn't necessarily the aim when they started designing, it became clear in Pilotto's graduate collection that this was what the focus of his future company would be.

Peter Pilotto spring/summer 2019

"It was never, during our studies, the main thing," Pilotto told The Independent in an interview in 2014. "But the few printed things in that [graduation] collection were the ones that I focused on producing... somehow I was like, 'Ah!' That's such a good way to personalise a collection."

Since then, print has been the key focus for the label.

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Princess Eugenie wearing Peter Pilotto

It is already an A-list favourite

Although Peter Pilotto was perhaps not a household name (although might be after today), the brand is actually already a red-carpet favourite and boasts plenty of A-list fans.

These include; Michelle Obama (who chose a blue paisley dress by the brand for an engagement this year), Beyoncé (who famously wore a pink suit by the brand for her 'Apeshit' music video with husband Jay-Z), as well as Jessica Chastain, Amber Heard, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Olivia Palermo, Allison Williams, Emma Stone and Karlie Kloss.

Michelle Obama wearing Peter Pilotto

After gaining the worldwide exposure that the brand will have today, there is no doubt that we will be seeing plenty more Peter Pilotto prints on the red carpet.

Relive the most beautiful moments from Eugenie and Jack's wedding day below.

Princess Eugenie's wedding in pictures

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