Mary Quant 60's Fashion Designer - Op Art, The Hipster, Mini Skirt, and Cosmetics

Mary Quant is a name synonymous with the 60s. It brings to mind mini skirts, op art, that black and white psychedelic theme, the hipster pair of slacks, and pretty prints on baby doll dresses!

She Didn't Only Make the Mini Skirt Popular
Mary Quant was responsible for making the mini skirt acceptable internationally. But did you know that she also designed the ‘hipster’, the trouser that sits on the hip and that everybody is wearing today. It was Mary’s dream since her early childhood that she would be able to design everything for women, including underwear, shoes, cosmetics and perfume and “by the mid sixties was creating nearly 18 collections a year (around 528 designs)” per year. Quant was also the first designer to realize that there was a correlation between beauty and fashion.

Studied Art in Lonon
Mary Quant was born in 1934 in London, the daughter of two teachers. In 1950, at the age of 16, she was admitted to Goldsmiths College of Art in London, the prestigious and premier creative university in the United Kingdom. Five years later, at the age of twenty one (partnered with Alexander Plunket-Greene, her future husband, and Archie McNair), she opened her first shop (Bazaar) in Kings Road (London) to sell the clothes she designed.

Elegance was Quant’s Signature for ALL her Designs
From the beginning, she focused on elegant, easy-to-wear clothes that could move from work through to evening clubbing. Her clothing was expensive for she sought out only the best fabric. In addition, all her creations were lined in silk. Very soon, Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot, and other celebrities were visiting her boutique.

Natural Flair for Business
Her business acumen came into play early and she opened a second boutique (Knightsbridge) in 1957 and then signed with JC Penney in 1962 to design for them. She did so for eleven years. She also launched a range of knitted garments in strong bold colors – Ginger Group – and these were sold internationally at various retail stores. In 1964, Puritan Fashions in the US also signed her to design for them. Despite this heavy workload, she launched her first hosiery and lingerie ranges in 1965 and in 1966 her cosmetic empire (including perfume) that initiated the first high-fashion color ranges and the first waterproof mascara was born. Between 1964 and 1968, she designed dressmaking patterns for Butterick. For Mary Quant, there was no such thing as leaving a stone unturned. She touched everything and anything that would make the life of a woman easier and more beautiful.

Twiggy and The Shrimp
Quant used top models like Twiggy to personify the youth, girlishness and innocence of her clothing. She also used top model Jean Shrimpton, who carried off her creations to perfection. Her fashions were focused on the young - bright, sleek lined, and easy-to wear.

Cosmetics
At the time that Mary Quant entered the cosmetic market, only 5 colors were available to women. There were no make-up brushes, no eye lash ranges, and no waterproof mascara. She revolutionized the cosmetic industry and models – until that time using theatrical make up – began to use Quant cosmetics instead.

Decorated by the Queen
Arguably, Quant is the most decorated designer in the history of fashion. She won the Sunday Times Award (1963), the American Maison Blanche Award (1964), the Italian Piavolo d’Oro in 1966 and was ‘knighted’ by the Queen the same year with an O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire). In 1967, she won the Royal Society of Arts Annual Design Medal and in 1969 was named for both the Royal Designer for Industry as well as the Hall of Fame Award. In 1990, she was awarded the British Council Award.

Expertise
Her expertise in her craft has been recognized by prestigious organizations and universities and she has been awarded honorary doctorates in both law and letters. In 1971 she was invited to join the Design Council Committee and in 1973 the Bicentennial Liaison Committee for the US and UK. In 1993, she was made a Senior Fellow of Goldsmith University and a Fellow of the Society of Industrial Artists and Designers.

Museum Pieces
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London host 105 of Mary Quant’s designs, the Museum of London hosts 300 designs, and the Fashion and Textile Museum in London also shows a collection. It would be difficult to list every award, every expansion of her enormous business empire, and her influence that continues today.

Style
Mary Quant is best remembered for the vibrantly colored mini-skirts and dresses she esigned, the ‘hot pants’ (shorts) worn with unbuttoned ‘maxi coats’ (floor length) and knee high boots and the daisy symbol on her cosmetic range. Her silhouettes were always angular, elegant and unfussy. As a result of the short dress lengths, she brought a revival to color tights and her trademark white and black daisy patterned hosiery worn with medium high heeled or flat shoes was widely copied. Her items were well crafted, utilizing expensive, luxury fabric, and available at only the most exclusive stores.

Japan
Perhaps, the most unusual business decision that Mary Quant made was to launch her collections in Japan in 1970. In 1983, she introduced her cosmetic range in Japan where they sell to the middle and high end market. They are well received and she has some 200 stores in Japan.

Mary Quant Cosmetics Still Going Strong!
Mary Quant is still loved by many and there are those who still seek out her designs. Currently, her official website is in two languages – Japanese and English. This is because these are still her strongest markets. While her clothing empire is no longer in existence, her cosmetics still have a large market Share.