Earl of Bedlam blog

Earl of Bedlam logo, by Mark Wesley & Lee Dyson, 2010

Lady C and Mark Anthony Wesley, The Earl of Bedlam, 2010.

The intention is to provide a valuable real-time record of the creative and commercial process of a fledgling fashion label from drawing board to cutting table to catwalk to shop floor, carrier bag and customer's back. The blog begins with the Earl of Bedlam team, Mark Wesley and Lady C, seeking funding for the manufacture of the all-important initial samples…

Follow the progress on the Earl of Bedlam blog.

Who is the Earl of Bedlam?

Mark Wesley left school in Catford, SE London, at 15 and became one of the more poseable personalities at the west end clubs of the early 80s that were not just glue but the fertiliser between music and fashion. Out on the town in rig-outs in he had made himself, Mark's Beefeater costume became the stuff of legend and he began making clothes for friends that were worn at all the pulse points of that extraordinary era. Deciding to learn his craft properly, he completed his Fashion Foundation at Goldsmiths College, London.

Needing to pause the party he settled in the Cote d'Azur, where for the past ten years he has been using local tailors and factories to make small runs of clothes. Recently he worked with Johny Rocca (latterly of Michiko Koshino studio) on a line that launched in New York in January 2010. Now, with partner Caroline Butler, he has created a new character in the story of his rakish progress: the 'Earl of Bedlam'.

As a schoolgirl Caroline Butler was advised that she could look forward to a 'career' as a raconteuse - which may or may not be the same thing as 'will come to no good.' Much later she heard Peter Ustinov define that as 'somebody who can't be bothered to write it down'. So deliberately wilful, she now crafts the scripts to go with Mark's costumes, and tends the blog, as well as contributing irregular features to publications including You magazine and the Daily Telegraph. She also has several books on the go.

After graduating from RADA Caroline postponed indefinitely her life as a movie star to host a smoky night club - several in fact, as it was a portable fiesta that moved around London's more dissolute dives of distinction. In these, she sang and oversaw a jam session of some now legendary aspect. This led her to the music business where she managed Moving Shadow Records, founded her own label, Partisan, worked with Björk at One Little Indian Records, and managed various artists, including Sneaker Pimps. Much like Mark, she saw and adored the theatre of this life, and the prospects it offered for dressing up and nightly reinvention.

The Earl of Bedlam label reflects Mark's admiration for antique styling and respect for the effort to be properly dressed, which, he believes, is the compliment you pay not just yourself but anyone you encounter on your daily edition of adventure. Named for the South London landmark, the Bethlehem Lunatic Asylum, Earl of Bedlam is delighted to be adopted by the Victoria & Albert Museum as their pet fashion foolhards. Their progress is charted in tears and triumph via their docu-blog.