Mary Quant

“The whole point of fashion is to make fashionable clothes available to everyone.” Mary Quant

The exhibition showcases more than 120 garments, the majority of which have never gone on display before, as well as photographs, accessories, cosmetics and sketches.

Mary Quant disrupted the fashion establishment, connecting with an energised, youthful audience looking for something fresh and fun. This exhibition is the first international retrospective on the iconic British designer who started a fashion revolution. Quant designed clothes that made people feel good, making quality designer fashion affordable through her playful brand, signified by the trademark daisy. She encouraged a new age of feminism, inspiring young women to rebel against the traditional clothing worn by their mothers and grandmothers. Her shop Bazaar opened in 1955, the year after World War Two food rationing ended, her playful designs a colourful reaction against the drab austerity of post-war London.

Terence Donovan and Mary Quant collaborated many times over the course of thirty years. Donovan photographed promotional and advertising campaigns for Bazaar and Quant’s cosmetics range, working with leading models of the day including Twiggy, Grace Coddington, Celia Hammond and Jill Kennington.