Mary Quant, a fashion designer who is credited with popularizing the miniskirt that became an emblem of the “Swinging Sixties” in Britain, has died at the age of 93. Born and raised in Blackheath, southeast London, Quant played a key role in pioneering new styles during the 1960s, a decade that saw a challenge to the post-World War II national identity of Britain in terms of fashion, music, and art subculture.
The Victoria and Albert Museum, which held a 2019 exhibition focused on Quant’s work, said that it was impossible to overstate her contribution to fashion. Quant, who was self-taught, opened a boutique called Bazaar in west London in the 1950s with her husband Alexander Plunket Greene and their business partner. Bazaar gained huge popularity by offering customers something completely different from mainstream stores and high-end designers.
Quant’s influence on fashion peaked with the arrival of the miniskirt, whose hemline above the knee – sometimes far above – became a symbol of the sexual liberation and rebellious youth culture of a new generation. Her own style was as captivating as her designs, and she was famous for her “bob” haircut. In 1966, she was awarded a national honour for her contribution to the fashion industry and received the award from the Queen while wearing a typically daring outfit – a short cream-colored dress and a beret – which caused a stir in the national press.
Former British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman described Quant as a leader of fashion and female entrepreneurship, a visionary who was much more than just a great haircut. According to the Victoria and Albert Museum, she represented the joyful freedom of 1960s fashion and provided a new role model for young women, while contemporary fashion owes a great deal to her pioneering vision.
Post Your Comments