Quant, Mary
Biography
Mary Quant was a British fashion designer. Quant studied art education and illustration at Goldsmiths, where she graduated in 1953. In 1955, she and her husband, aristocrat Alexander Plunket Greene, and lawyer-turned-photographer Archie McNair opened a boutique named Bazaar, where they stocked Quant's own designs. After expanding and opening a second store in 1957, she signed a design contract with American department-store chain JC Penney in 1962. Quant is widely seen as very influential in 1960's and 1970's fashion and is often credited as inventing the mini-skirt, which was heavily popularized on '60's It-model Twiggy. Often cited as the 'mother of the miniskirt,' Quant created ready-to-wear designs for the hip, youth scene which was later dubbed Youthquake. She was granted an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1966 and granted the title of Dame in 2015 for her services to British fashion.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Cosmetics & Toiletries - Mary Quant, c.1975-1979, circa 1975-1979
Undated catalogs of cosmetics and toiletries produced by Mary Quant, as well as a company profile and a "skin care training manual."
Symposium records, 2011
Includes the papers and presentation delivered at the 2011 Symposium "Undressing the Fashionable Myth." The names of the presenters and the title of their presentations contained in this folder are: Ariele Elia, "Haute Couture or Not Couture;" Audrey Chaney, "Myth No. 5: The Little Black Dress;" Laura McLaws Helms, "Quant-ifying Myths: The Mini & More."