The family of murdered fashion designer Katie Gallagher launched a fundraiser so the promising artist’s final collection can be completed.
The death of Gallagher, who mysteriously overdosed on a deadly cocktail of fentanyl and other drugs in her Manhattan apartment last year, was ruled a homicide Friday by the medical examiner’s office.
Gallagher’s family members want to ensure that the latest works of the up-and-coming designer and painter — who dressed Lady Gaga and a number of other major celebrities — can be seen through to their finish.
“The funds raised here will first be used to ensure that Katie’s latest work is finished and seen in a celebration of her life and work later this year in her beloved NYC,” family members posted on a GoFundMe campaign page, which was created last July.
Gallagher, 35, had completed 26 collections under her label, “Katie Gallagher,” for New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, according to the page. She had been working on her 27th, which was due to premiere last fall, at the time of her unexpected death.
“Beyond this, we, her family, aspire for this fund to be the seed money for a foundation to be started in Katie’s name to support future projects and initiatives that will preserve Katie’s legacy, celebrate her life’s work, and help other artists achieve their hopes, dreams, and goals,” her family wrote.
As of Friday night, the fundraiser had raised over $30,000 with a $50,000 goal.
Gallagher, who grew up in rural Pennsylvania, was found dead in her apartment on Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side on July 23, 2022.
A neighbor reportedly spotted Gallagher’s keys dangling from her apartment door and entered to check on her.
She then discovered her lifeless body face up on her bed, according to Pix 11.
The medical examiner confirmed she died from acute intoxication from the combined effects of fentanyl, ethanol and the designer opioid p-Fluorofentanyl.
Detectives believe Gallagher’s death could be tied to a pattern of at least 26 recent “drug-facilitated” robberies in areas including the East Village, the Lower East Side and the Bronx, police sources said.
It remains unclear how the drugs got into her system or whether anything was stolen from her apartment.
Members of Gallagher’s family did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment Friday night.
The promising designer launched her own label, “Katie Gallagher” in 2010, and over the past decade grew to see her work featured in magazines such as Vogue, Glamour, and W, and her collections were worn by celebrities like Laverne Cox, Rita Ora, and Lady Gaga. Kourtney Kardashian and singer Rita Ora also dressed in her garments.
“She handmade every piece in her collections and commissions using her industrial sewing machines as well as a household machine handed down to her from her paternal grandmother,” her family wrote in her obituary.
“She was unique, beautiful, smart, unabashed, and always wanting,” her obituary continued. “She was hardworking and talented, with so many ideas and plans for future projects. We are so proud of who she was and all she achieved in her brief but full and beautiful life. She was Katie, our daughter, sister, aunt, and friend.”
A memorial service for Gallagher was held in her home state of Pennsylvania in August, and a celebration of life is scheduled for this May.
