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British Designers |
British designers came into the forefront of fashion designing only 40 years ago. Known for being highly innovative and eccentric, British fashion designers changed the conventional English style of dressing forever and put London on the world fashion map.
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Mary Quant
The English fashion designer who laid claim to inventing mini skirts and hot pants! Despite there being a disagreement about this, mini skirts and hot pants were popularized by Mary Quant during the 60s. Born in 1934, Quant studied at the Goldsmith College. In 1955, she teamed up with her husband to open her first clothes shop called Bazaar at Kings Road, London. She then began designing her own clothes and by 1966 she became famous for her clothesline. In the same year, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to the fashion industry. Labeled as the 'High Priestess of Sixties fashion', Quant went on to opening several other branches of Bazaar in London and also set up shops in Paris, New York and Tokyo.
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Ossie Clark
Another English designer who made his mark on fashion, during the 60s and 70s was Raymond 'Ossie' Clark. Born in 1942, Clark attended the Royal College of Art and later began his career as a fashion designer in London. His early designs were featured in an elite boutique called Quorum in 1966.
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Two years later, he designed a diffusion line for clothing manufacturer Alfred Radley and soon high profile clients began to dress up in his clothes. Between 1965 and 1974, he designed clothes for the rich and famous and became popular not only in London but also New York and Paris. Even after his unfortunate death in 1996, his designs were kept alive and his clothes continued to be sought after. Celebrities like Kate Moss have worn his clothes.
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Elspeth Gibson
Elspeth Gibson is known for her slick and contemporary clothing and the prudent and personal service she offers her celebrity clientele. Elspeth opened her first boutique in 1998 at London's Pont Street and a year later, introduced a range of luxury bath products. She has become one of the most sought after British designers and is regularly featured in the British Vogue magazine and other international publications.
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Her collection is preferred by famous personalities like Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Uma Thurman and Liz Hurley to name a few. Last year, she launched a new swimwear collection and re-launched her successful lingerie collection. Elspeth is truly a women's designer and she believes in creating for the love of beauty and design.
Katherine Hamnett
Katherine Hamnett is known for her guts! She is not only a well-accomplished fashion designer but also a political activist who speaks her mind through her creations. She is known for her slogan T-shirts, especially against the use of drugs and the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Born in 1947, Hamnett graduated from the Central Saint Martins College, London where she studied fashion and textiles. In 1979, she launched the Katherine Hamnett London label and also worked as a freelance designer in Paris, Milan, New York and Hong Kong. Retailers worldwide rapidly picked up her label and in 1984, she was awarded Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council. Along with her successful women's clothesline, she also launched menswear, knitwear, leather, shoes and children's wear.
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Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney is one of Britain's young and successful fashion designers. She graduated from the Central Saint Martins College, London in 1995 and after leaving college, launched her own label. Since then there has been no turning back for Stella. Stella worked as a creative head for Chloe, Paris and opened her first fashion house in collaboration with Gucci.
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In addition to this, she has also designed sportswear in partnership with Adidas and a collection with H&M. She has won several awards including the Glamour Award for Best Designer of the Year. Celebrities like Madonna, Annie Lennox, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow have worn her creations. She is a strict vegetarian and does not use any leather or fur in her clothesline. Her collection is distributed in over 40 countries.
Alexander McQueen
British designer Alexander McQueen is one of the most famous and respected designers worldwide. McQueen is known for his brutally sharp tailoring, a craft he mastered from an early age of 16 while working as an apprentice in Saville Row. He had the opportunity to work with several established designers including Romeo Gigli in Milan. After completing a Master Degree in Fashion Design from St. Martins, London, he went on to design clothes, which have the fine touches of superb British tailoring, French haute couture atelier and flawless Italian manufacturing. He worked with Givenchy and then acquired a partnership with Gucci. His collections include women's clothing, menswear, eyewear, handbags, shoes, scarves and perfume. He has won several awards including The British Menswear Designer of the Year in 2004.
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Christopher Bailey
Christopher Bailey was featured in the Forbes magazine as one of the influential designers in 2005. Born in 1972, Bailey studied at the Royal College of Art in London. He had the opportunity to work for Donna Karen in New York and later with Tom Ford. But his long time ambition to work with a designer in U.K was fulfilled when Rose Marie Bravo, former CEO of Burberry, offered him the job of Design Director in 2001. Bailey's collections for Burberry have been very successful. He has also helped the company expand its business in the U.S and played a key role in the opening of Burberry's flagship store in New York in 2002. Bailey's designs have contemporary influences where fabrics and finishes are concerned but he still maintains the English tradition of Burberry.
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