Born in Sunderland, he studied on the Art Foundation course at City of Sunderland College and completed his degree in Fashion Design at Central St Martins in 2003.

On|Off showcased Gareth Pugh’s debut stand alone catwalk collection in February 2006 at the Royal Academy of Arts. Pugh’s show was supported by NEWGEN sponsorship and was attended by Anna Wintour, Hilary Alexander and Stuart Rose.

The following 3 seasons, Pugh was awarded NEWGEN sponsorship and showed on-schedule at the British Fashion Council tents at the Natural History Museum. In February 2008, Pugh staged a standalone catwalk show at the Old Truman Brewery before eventually making his debut at Paris Fashion Week, later that year in September.

Continuing to push the boundaries of fashion, in February 2009, Pugh showcased his AW09 collection through a digital film presentation. Following this success, in September 2009 his showcased a short film collaboration in New York as well as revealing his SS10 collection at Paris Fashion Week yet again. Pugh showcased another successful collection in Paris for AW11, with his front row featuring Grace Coddington, Mario Testino, Ellen von Unwerth, Leigh Lezark, Sean Combs and Carine Roitfeld.

After the success of February 09’s film, Pugh’s most recent collection was also presented via a digital film presentation at the Parc de Bercy sports stadium. Fans of Pugh could then watch the film on SHOWstudio.com an hour later.