REMEMBERING A FASHION LEGEND DAME MARY QUANT STARS PAY TRIBUTE TO PIONEER OF ICONIC 1960S STYLE
REPORT: LAURA BENJAMIN
1930-2023
T ributes have poured in after iconic fashion designer Dame Mary Quant died last week at the age of 93.
The woman who pioneered the miniskirt and hotpants – and is often credited with bringing style to the Swinging Sixties – passed away peacefully at home in Surrey.
A statement released by her family said: “Dame Mary, aged 93, was one of the most internationally recognised Fashion Designers of the 20th Century and an outstanding innovator of the Swinging Sixties. Her far-sighted and creative talents quickly established a unique contribution to British fashion.
“Credited with conceiving the miniskirt and hotpants and developing the mod style during that vibrant decade Mary put the fun in fashion and London became defined by the freedom, energy and popular culture of ‘The Chelsea Girl’.”
Pattie Boyd, the former wife of Beatle George Harrison, wrote on Instagram: “Very sad news today to learn of the passing of the 60s daringly creative, fun genius, much-loved lady, Dame Mary Quant. Mary insisted on making George’s and my wedding coats in 1966; his, Black Mongolian Fur and mine, Red Fox. A true icon. RIP.”
REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT
Dame Twiggy Lawson posted: “Mary Quant was such an influence on young girls in the late 50s early 60s. She revolutionised fashion and was a brilliant female entrepreneur. The 1960s would have never been the same without her. Condolences to her family, RIP dear Dame Mary.”
Born in south-east London to two Welsh schoolteachers in 1930, Mary studied art education at Goldsmiths College, where she met her husband Alexander Plunket Greene, to whom she was married until his death in 1990.
She worked as an apprentice to a milliner before branching out into designing her own clothes, opening her first boutique, Bazaar, on Chelsea’s King’s Road in 1955. She quickly gained a cult following and became one of the most influential designers of the 1960s with her sleek, streamlined designs that brought women into the modern way of dressing.
THE RISE OF THE MINISKIRT
Mary, who famously wore her hair in a sharp bob, is said to have created the miniskirt, naming it after her favourite make of car.
She spoke about the skirt’s “feeling of freedom and liberation” in 2014, saying: “It was the girls on King’s Road who invented the mini. I was making clothes which would let you run and dance and we would make them the length the customer wanted.
“I wore them very short and the cu
