A self-taught fashion designer, Hilton McConnico officially launched his first atelier when he was 16 years old and, after winning a challenge organized by
Vogue magazine, discovered Paris, where he moved two years later. After working in fashion for such designers as
Ted Lapidus and
Yves St. Laurent, McConnico was set designer and art director for more than 20 films, including the cult classic
Diva. In 1990, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art held a retrospective of 30 years of his creations. His collaboration with
Daum crystal began in 1987; some of his "Cactus" creations for the manufacturer were presented by former French President
François Mitterrand to President
George H. W. Bush as a gift of state. He was also the first American to have work permanently inducted into the
Louvre's Decorative Arts collection. McConnico remained active on the global design scene, especially in
architecture and
interior design. Later projects included the
Toupary restaurant on the fifth-floor of the historic
Samaritaine department store and the
Hermes Museum in
Tokyo, which he conceived for the new
Renzo Piano building in the famed
Ginza shopping district and a collection of limited series and unique pieces for Formia International in Murano Glass. Hilton McConnico was affected by the
Parkinson's disease before his death. ==Awards==