In conversation: Pat McGrath, DBE
By Sam Rogers
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“Innovation only comes from being fearless and seeing beyond what is to what could be.”
Fashion can be… fickle. What’s in today is out tomorrow. But it is this obsession with what’s next that makes the achievements of Dame Pat McGrath – the most influential makeup artist in the world, according to Vogue; one of the most influential and powerful people in fashion, per CNN; and the most powerful person in fashion, in the words of Ebony magazine – all the more remarkable.
Born and raised in Northampton, McGrath credits her late mother, a devout Jehovah's Witness, for her love and appreciation of style. She fondly recounts their weekly routine of selecting Vogue patterns, fabrics and makeup – often DIY concoctions blended at home to match their skin tones – to “bring the story together”. “She’d be in awe of how far our shared love for beauty and fashion has taken me, and how it blossomed into a career that empowers and inspires countless others,” McGrath says.
Having been “discovered” by the fashion editor Kim Bowen in the 1990s, McGrath worked on the most iconic editorial shoots of the era, alongside the then i-D editor (and future British Vogue editor) Edward Enninful and the photographer Steven Meisel – collaborations that continue to this day. “The secret is passion and persistence,” she says of breaking into the industry and staying at the top of her game.
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As well as her pioneering editorial work, she has spent the past three decades masterminding the theatrical beauty of thousands of fashion shows, including 20 last season alone. From the haunting shows of the late Alexander McQueen to Marc Jacobs, Miuccia Prada, John Galliano and more, she has literally put a face on the biggest fashion shows going. (The glazed doll skin looks created for Maison Margiela’s haute couture show broke the internet.)
Famed for her use of bold hues and material experimentation (feathers, gems, petals and pearls – you name it, she’s done it) McGrath has also struck a rare balance between artistry and business. “Innovation only comes from being fearless and seeing beyond what is to what could be,” she says. Having worked as the creative design director behind CoverGirl, Max Factor, and Giorgio Armani’s makeup collection, McGrath launched her own brand, Pat McGrath Labs, in 2015. Inclusivity and innovation were at the brand’s core, long before other beauty brands were catering to an array of skin tones. By 2018, it was valued at $1 billion. In 2021, McGrath was awarded a damehood by the queen for her services to fashion, beauty and diversity.
The London Design Medal holds special significance, too. “Design is at the core of everything I do as a makeup artist,” she says. “So to have my dedication to design recognised and celebrated with the London Design Medal – and in the city where I got my start, no less – is a complete full-circle moment for me.”
That isn’t to say she is happy to rest on laurels. “I’m aware that there’s more work to be done in this industry overall. The beauty world needs to be a mirror of our society, reflecting all the wonderful diversity it holds.”
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