Mary Quant

‘The whole point of fashion is to make fashionable clothes available to everyone.’
Mary Quant

Famous for popularising super-high hemlines, self-taught designer Mary Quant (1930 – 2023) launched a 'youth quake' on the British high street, forging a dynamic, new identity for young women with her playful mass-market designs. Inventive, opinionated and commercially minded, she established the first lifestyle brand and became an icon of the swinging sixties scene.

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In 2018 we launched the 'We Want Quant' campaign, a public call out to locate rare and missing garments by the designer, resulting in several new and important Quant acquisitions for our Fashion collection. The V&A now has the largest collection of Quant garments in the world. Highlights include her most famous designs from the 1960s and 70s – from her trademark jersey minidresses to early experiments with PVC – as well as make up, hats and accessories bearing her iconic daisy logo.

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Header image: Jumpsuit, designed by Mary Quant, about 1967, England.