[3] Pugh was selected to participate in the British reality show The Fashion House two months after his graduation,[3] which he would later call "horrible" and his "only other option [to being on] the dole.

"[7] The rise of !WOWOW!, a feature in Dazed & Confused, and a debut show at London club Kashpoint's Alternative Fashion Week brought Pugh to the attention of Fashion East, "London's breeding ground for cutting-edge new talent," leading them to invite Pugh to participate in its Autumn 2005 group show.

Róisín Murphy recently appeared flamboyantly sporting one of Pugh's distinctive outfits in the videoclip promoting her 2007 album Overpowered,[12] and on the cover of her single "Let Me Know", and on other occasions.

[16] Singer Lady Gaga wore a jacket designed by Pugh at the Wango Tango concert in 2009, another piece on X Factor, and most recently to her ARTPOP premiere at ArtRave.

[17] Ashlee Simpson wore a leather and clear plastic striped Gareth Pugh dress in her video "Outta My Head."

British pop music duo Pet Shop Boys wore Gareth Pugh outfits at their iconic performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics, with a reinterpreted design inspired by their post-modern look during their 1993 Very era.

[22] Style.com describes Pugh as the "latest addition to a long tradition of fashion-as-performance-art that stretches back through Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and Vivienne Westwood to the eighties club culture of Leigh Bowery.

"[3][6] Elements in his designs include PVC inflated into voluminous coats, black and white patchwork squares, Perspex discs linked like chain mail, and shiny latex masks and leggings;[24] he has used materials including mink, parachute silk, foam footballs, afro-weave synthetic and human hair, and electrically charged plastic in his clothing.

Though he has received significant acclaim in contemporary fashion circles,[3][9] Pugh claimed in March 2007 that he had yet to sell a single dress and that he struggled to make ends meet.