Mary Quant - A Compact Biography

By John Brown

Mary Quant - A Compact Biography - John Brown

 

Very few designers have had such a massive and rapid impact on the fashion market, as well as creating a complete cultural shift at the same time.

When the mini skirt first hit the streets of London, no one could have predicted the seismic effect it would create, not only in this country but across the world.

With the trademark bobbed hair and vibrant make up – Mary Quant had arrived and the world would never be the same.

 

A meticulous, concise and clever appraisal of this icon of fashion.

Entertaining and highly informative, with a light touch.

Perfect for anyone not looking to trawl through endless pages to get the information they want.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rabbit Publishing
• Release date: Apr 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223409809

John Brown

John Brown (1800-1859) was a staunch abolitionist who came to believe that violence and coercion was the only way to stop the scourge of slavery in the United States. Fiercely religious and believing himself to be the instrument of God sent to earth to personally abolish slavery, Brown led a life of activism and violent resistance, finally deciding that the best way to set off a slave liberation movement would be to capture the Federal armory at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, arm the slaves and then lead a violent rebellion that would sweep through the southern states. During the raid, in October of 1859, five men were killed and many more injured, but Brown and his forces did indeed take over the armory. Very few slaves joined his revolt, however, and the armory was soon retaken by the local militia and US Marines, the latter led by Robert E. Lee himself. Brown was tried immediately, found guilty and hanged in December of 1859, the first person to be executed for treason in the United States. John Brown delivered the following speech at the conclusion of his trial on November 2, 1859. He would be executed a month later and become a hero and martyr to the abolitionist cause.

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MQ

Contents

Introduction

Mary Quant

Along Came The War

A Brief History of Chelsea

The Man Behind Mary

Right Place Right Time

The Quant Influence

3D Quant

Quiet Mary

Quant In The USA

Cosmetics

The Legacy

Quant In The 1970s

The 90s

In Memorium

One Last Word 

Introduction

In an age when superlatives are banded around like confetti, there are certain people who actually deserve these verbal accolades. The period encompassing the late 1950s to the early 1970s, created a handful of these people, people for who a surname or a one word description, is enough to trigger a recognition or an admiring acknow-ledgement of their contribution to this heady period in British history.

Such names as Conran, The Beatles, David Baily, Jagger, Biba, Shrimpton, Twiggy and of course, no list would be complete without the most influential fashion designer of this period – Mary Quant.

It would be hard to over-estimate the part this lady from the London suburb of Blackheath had on British fashion in general and every woman of a certain age.

She once modestly said that ‘The streets of London invented the fashion, I just packaged it up’, that is far too modest a statement from such a profound visionary and talent.

Very few designers have had such a massive and rapid impact on the fashion market, as well as creating a complete cultural shift at the same time.

When the mini skirt first hit the streets of London, no one could have predicted the seismic effect it would create, not only in this country but across the world.

With the trademark bobbed hair and vibrant make up – Mary Quant had arrived and the world would never be the same.

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Mary Quant

Mary Quant is a British fashion designer who became a key figure in the 1960s youth fashion movement.

Mary was born on February 11, 1930, in London, England, her parents, Jack and Mary Quant were born in Wales. Her parents, who both came from Welsh mining stock, had received scholarships to their local grammar school and had gone on to earn first class degrees at Cardiff University. They subsequently moved to Blackheath, London prior to Mary’s birth.

The one thing any writer worth their salt must do before committing pen to paper (so to speak) is check, check and check again. I don’t think I’ve ever come across so much misinformation about a current individual. Take these two conflicting statements.

Mary was the elder of two children, her younger brother was Tony – this is correct.   .

Her father Jack was a successful lawyer who worked for a leading law firm in the city, while Mary was a teacher (utterly untrue)

They were both teachers, another source, depicted Jack as ‘starting his career as a mining engineer. These errors weren’t simply about her earlier life, they persisted at every stage of her career and personal life – quite extraordinary. The surprising fact was these basic errors were sometimes committed by reputable journals – the very people who have every resource to hand to ensure that what they print, or list, is true.

After some months of research, I felt as though I could have written a completely different account of Mary’s life, so numerous were the errors out there. Hopefully, all the information I have gathered together, is based on a true account of her life.

Being that Jack and Mary came from a background that was heavily mining based, they had done exceptionally well to break the presumed pattern of employment (the pit) and succeed in becoming teachers. Breaking away from learnt behaviour patterns is somewhat harder. They had a very strong working ethic and a strict sense of right and wrong. They encouraged their children's creativity from an early age. Mary recalled in an interview with The Guardian that her parents didn't believe in children being idle, they always gave us things to do. My mother used to give me a pencil and a piece of paper and say, 'Draw me a picture.' So, I always had a pencil and paper handy.

Her parents were also keen on providing their children with a broad education. Mary attended Blackheath High School, a private girls' school in London, where she excelled academically and developed her interest in art and design. Her brother Tony went on to become a dentist. 

Mary's parents, were that rare breed of people, who, considering the age in which they came from, were always completely  supportive of their daughter’s obvious ambition to pursue a career in fashion. Their only condition was, she must have some form of qualification at the end of any course – ‘something to fall back on’. Quant had originally wanted to study fashion at college, however, her parents dissuaded her from that course of study, her father instead, arranged for her to take the entrance exam for Goldsmiths College in London in 1952. Here she studied illustration and art, receiving her degree in 1953.

Here again, fate plays a great part in Mary’s progress through life. She was lucky enough to be  taught by leading modernists and surrealist artists, designers and illustrators. Among them such luminaries as Betty Swanick, Sam Rabin and the legendary embroiderer and textile artist Constance Howard.

These were some of the most forward-thinking individuals of the day, little could they have known the future star that was in