The 1960s introduced a period of post-war rebellion led by youth culture, how did Mary Quant revolutionise fashion in this decade?
1. Making fashion accessible for everyone.
After leaving Goldsmiths college, Mary Quant became an apprentice to couturier Milliner, she would spend three days stitching a hat for one woman that would likely only be worn once or twice. Mary disliked this as she felt fashion should be for everyone, not just the wealthy. When she opened her boutique Bazaar in 1955 she ensured her stock had accessible price points which allowed women who were not able to afford popular luxury brands such as Dior or Chanel. Bazaar was one of the few shops in London from the late 50s to early 60s that offered an alternative to high fashion designers.
Although the prices in Bazaar were a lot more affordable, they weren't cheap. So in the mid-1960s, Quant signed a licensing agreement with Butterick paper pattern, allowing young girls to use these patterns and make their own Mary Quant clothes. (Not only was this cheap, but also very sustainable!)
"It is given to a fortunate few to be born at the right time, in the right place, with the right talents. In recent fashion there are three: Chanel, Dior and Mary Quant" - Erenstine Carter (Influential fashion journalist of the 1950s/60s)
2. Liberating women with her designs.
Although there is debate over who invented the miniskirt, Mary Quant is well known for marketing and popularising it. Post-war society meant big changes - and Quant's customer base were of the first to gain access to the contraceptive pill, allowing them to plan their family and careers. Women's liberation was gaining traction.
Mary Quant helped push this idea of women's liberation through her designs by creating clothing with hemlines that got shorter and shorter. Quant also designed sack dresses that eliminated the waistline, a beauty standard that had previously defined femininity for 25 years. She aimed to create "relaxed clothes suited to the actions of normal life". She took inspiration from menswear as the cuts were more aligned with the aesthetic she wanted to create, she even bought men's suits from Harrods and repurposed them, turning them into pieces of womenswear.
“She was the first to make clothes you could run for the bus in, Quant gave us fashion with flexibility. Her clothes were to enable women to get up and go wherever they wanted.” - Retail expert Jane Sheperdson
3. Experimenting with new materials
The 1960s was an era in which designers began to experiment with new fabrics and materials to create unique clothing lines. Quant was the first designer to experiment with polyvinyl chloride (also known as PVC). This shiny material had previously only been used for protective garments. Using PVC, Quant created her 'Wet collection', a rainwear line using PVC. She also went on to use PVC for weatherproof boots for her footwear collection called 'Quant Afoot'.
Mary Quant revealed this 'wet collection' at a hotel in Paris in April 1963. This launch was attended by fashion editors and is what led to Quant gaining a cover for British Vogue, her first-ever magazine cover. This led to a huge amount of orders being placed from customers who wanted to own designs from the innovative collection.
"This super shiny man-made stuff and its shrieking colours… its gleaming liquorice black, white and ginger." - Quant by Quant on PVC (1966)
4. Changing retail stores.
When opening her boutique 'Bazaar' in the King's Road in 1955, Mary wanted to create a new shopping experience for her customers. The boutique set itself apart from other stores by offering free drinks and blasting loud music. The window designs were eye-catching and unique, sometimes it even caused shock amongst shoppers. This unique twist on retail created a 'scene' and led to women traveling from around the country just to shop in Bazaar, it was something new that they had not experienced before. The shop often attracted so many people that there were queues going down the street to get inside!
5. Leading the way for mass marketing.
As Bazaar continued to grow and Mary's designs became more and more popular, Quant was offered a contract with JC Penney, an American department store. She signed the contract in 1962. Just a year later, 'Mary Quant Ltd' expanded across the UK with a new, more affordable line called 'Ginger Group' meaning even more women would be able to wear Mary Quant designs.
It was estimated that by the end of the 1960s, around 7 million women owned at least 1 Mary Quant garment, and thousands more owned cosmetics from her cosmetic line 'Daisy'. She had become the most high-profile designer in the UK and was even awarded The Sunday Times International Award for "jolting England out of a conventional attitude towards clothes".
The mass marketing of the Mary Quant brand continued, even from the late 70s in which Mary Quant interior designs were created for ICI, a British Manufacturing company. Not only this, but there were many diffusion ranges created such as jewelry, a Daisy fashion doll, and skincare. Quant even began to publish books that promoted her cosmetics and how to use them.
References/Sources of information:
Fashion in the 60s - Written by Barbara Bernard
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