Mary Quant
Mary Quant was born in London on February 11, 1934. Quant studied for an Art Teacher's Diploma course at Goldsmith's College, London University. Her fashion career began in 1955, in the workrooms of the London milliner, Erik of Brook Street; a Danish milliner working in London. That same year she opened her boutique, Bazaar, in King's Road, in partnership with her future husband, Alexander Plunket-Greene, and Archie McNair, who handled the legal and commercial side of the business. Quant designed a black five-petal daisy logo during this period; it eventually became her worldwide trademark.
Quant started manufacturing from her home. She was designing for Butterick by 1964; some of her pattern designs sold over 70,000 copies. In 1957, Mary Quant signed a contract with J.C. Penney to create clothes and underwear for the wholesale market. In the same year she was nominated as Woman of the Year in Britain and the Sunday Times in London gave her its International Fashion award.
Quant popularized the mini skirt, colored tights, skinny rib sweaters, and low-slung hipster belts. She created a wet collection of PVC garments and sold vast numbers of waist-lenght, sleeveless crochet tops. Her clothes were classless and appealled to young and old alike.
In 1966, she startled the cosmetics industry by offering makeup in a staggering choice of wild colors. Her book Color by Quant was published in 1984, followed by Quant on Make-Up in 1986, and the Classic Made-Up and Beauty Book in 1966. In 1966 she was also awarded the Order of the British Empire and in 1967 she won the Annual Design Medal of the Royal Society of Arts. In the same year, she opened her third shop, in London’s New Bond Street. Quant was awarded the Hall of Fame Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Fashion by the British Fashion Council in 1969.
Mary Quant at Home launched in the U.S. market in 1983; included franchised home furnishings and even wine. Mary Quant remained a genuine fashion innovator well into the 1990s and into the 2000s. She adjusted to change—the 1960s designer for the youth explosion became a creator for the 1980s and beyond lifestyle boom. It wasn't until she was in her 60s that Mary Quant stepped down as director of Mary Quant Ltd., in 2000. She did, however, remain a consultant for the myriad of products she pioneered over the last four decades.
