Monika Tilley was an Austrian-born American designer noted for designing loungewear and activewear.
16 Facts About Monika Tilley
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Monika Tilley focused on functional design and some of her designs were considered racy and provocative for their times.
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Monika Tilley was a founding member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and two time recipient of the Coty American Fashion Critics' Award in the swimwear category.
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Monika Tilley's father worked with the government in the department of agriculture, while her mother was a school teacher teaching English and physical education.
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Monika Tilley completed her master's degree from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna despite her father's reservations against art being a viable career.
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Monika Tilley went to the United States on a grant from UNICEF and decided to stay back in New York and work in the fashion industry.
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Monika Tilley's parents were not pleased with her decision to stay back and are noted to have repeatedly called the consulate to have her return including asking them to "extradite her".
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Monika Tilley went on to create a line of designs for athlete Caitlyn Jenner during her time as a track athlete in the 1970s.
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Monika Tilley designed the parade and honors uniforms for the United States' 1980 and 1984 Winter Olympics teams.
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Monika Tilley designed swimwear for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and was noted to have designed more swimwear for the cover edition of the magazine than any other independent designer.
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Monika Tilley's creations were adorned by models including Christie Brinkley and Cheryl Tiegs when they modelled for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues in the 1970s and 80s.
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Monika Tilley was a recipient of two Coty American Fashion Critics' Awards in the swimwear category.
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Monika Tilley was a founding member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and remained an emeritus member of the board.
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Monika Tilley had met Tilley when she was studying in Vienna.
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Monika Tilley died on December 23,2020, in Manhattan, New York.
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Monika Tilley had been hospitalized earlier after suffering from multiple strokes.