Fashion revolution in Mary Quant exhibition
She invented the miniskirt. She is the one to thank for the hot pants and tights as a form of street fashion. She is one of the most incredible names in fashion history. Next year, Victoria & Albert Museum will present the first Mary Quant exhibition in 50 years with public call-out to uncover lost designs. (Photo up – Mary Quant and models at the Quant Afoot footwear collection launch, 1967 © PA Prints 2008)
The exhibition Mary Quant runs from 6 April 2019 – 8 March 2020. Tickets will go on sale in Autumn 2018.
vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/mary-quant // #WeWantQuant
This is the first exhibition for Mary Quant in nearly 50 years. And I am pretty sure that all of us waited for a moment that could describe the extraordinary work of one of the most innovative designers of all times. She freed women from rules and regulations, and from dressing like their mothers. This long-overdue exhibition will show how Mary made high fashion affordable for working women, and how her youthful, revolutionary clothes, inspired by London, made British streetstyle the global influence it remains today.
Satin mini-dress and shorts by Mary Quant, photograph by Duffy, 1966 © Duffy Archive
What do we know about the exhibition?
- opening in April 2019, the exhibition will focus on the years between 1955 and 1975, when Quant revolutionised the high street wear (hot pants, miniskirts, tights and make-up);
- will bring together over 200 objects, the majority of which have never been on public display;
- the exhibition will be drawn from the V&A’s extensive fashion holdings, which includes the largest collection of Mary Quant garments in the world, as well as the designer’s personal archive and important international loans;
- the V&A exhibition will showcase Mary Quant garments and accessories alongside archive sketches, personal testimony, patterns, cosmetics, magazines, photographs, film and catwalk footage.
Three models wearing underwear designed by Mary Quant, c. 1966 © Otfried Schmidt, ullstein bild, Getty Images
A call-out to track down rare Mary Quant garments was made…
- … and all the fashionista that loved he Mary Quant brand and wore her distinctive designs in the 1950s, 60s and 70s could share their stories.
- … share their pictures and memories on social media, using the hashtag #WeWantQuant.
Fashion model Ika posing with Mary Quant’s new collection of shoes, 6 April 1972 © Roger Jackson, Central Press, Getty Images
Dame Mary Quant is…
… one of London’s most iconic fashion designers. Quant’s minimal and androgynous graphic look rejected the formal, “debutante” styles of previous generations and created radically different visions of femininity.
…. beginning her career in demi-couture, Quant quickly moved into ready-to-wear. Popularised by Jean Shrimpton, Pattie Boyd, Cilla Black and Twiggy, Quant’s distinctive personal style found a ready market among young women in London.
… In 1962, Quant took on her first international collaboration with American department-store chain JC Penney, and in 1963 the company, Mary Quant Limited, expanded into the UK mass market with the diffusion line, Ginger Group. In 1966 Quant extended her business further to include cosmetics, and went on to add interiors, hosiery and jewellery, among other products, which she exported around the world.
Mary Quant at her apartment in Draycott Place, Chelsea, London, c.1965 © Keystone-France, Gamma-Keystone, Getty Images
Photography: https://www.vam.ac.uk
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