Mary Quant

Who Was Mary Quant?

Dame Mary Quant, renowned for her pivotal role in the creation of the miniskirt, revolutionized the fashion world with her innovative designs. With an art school background, Quant began designing and manufacturing her own clothing in the late 1950s. Unlike many of her predecessors, she shared a closer age demographic with her clientele, making her designs resonate more authentically with the youth of her time. Determined to make fashion accessible, she opened the iconic retail boutique Bazaar on King’s Road in 1955, effectively ushering in the “mod” era and the distinctive “Chelsea look.”

Early Life

Born on February 11, 1930, in London’s Blackheath neighborhood, Barbara Mary Quant was the daughter of Welsh teachers Jack and Mildred Quant, who hailed from mining families. From a young age, Quant harbored a desire to work in fashion, often expressing dissatisfaction with her hand-me-down clothes, which she felt didn’t reflect her personality. By the age of five, she had begun to experiment with making her own garments.

She attended Blackheath High School before studying illustration at Goldsmiths College—a compromise with her parents, who believed fashion to be a risky profession. She graduated with a diploma in art education and pursued an apprenticeship as a couture milliner. It was during this time that she began to design and produce her own clothes.

At Goldsmiths, she met her future husband and business partner, Alexander Plunket Greene. The couple married in 1957 and had a son, Orlando, in 1970. They remained married until Plunket Greene’s death in 1990.

Famed Fashion Designer

Although Quant had always dreamed of attending a fashion school, she later considered herself fortunate not to have done so, believing that the absence of formal training allowed her greater creative freedom. This freedom, combined with her contemporary perspective as a designer, enabled her to design with a focus on practicality and comfort, making her clothing easy to move and even run in.

In 1955, Quant opened her first boutique, Bazaar, on King’s Road with the help of her husband and former solicitor Archie McNair. The store became a landmark, popularizing the “mod” culture and the “Chelsea look.” Among the best-selling items were white plastic collars to enhance black dresses or T-shirts, and black stretch leggings. In addition to the trendy fashion shows and eye-catching window displays, Quant’s original designs—tailored specifically for a youthful audience—cemented her place in fashion history.

Though Quant is often credited with inventing the miniskirt, she sometimes credited the young women who visited her shop with the innovation, noting that they wanted their skirts shorter and shorter. While other designers, such as André Courrèges, were also developing similar designs, Quant’s name remains most synonymous with the iconic garment. She famously named the skirt after her favorite car, the Mini.

Building on the success of the original Bazaar, Quant opened a second store in Knightsbridge in 1961. By 1963, her brand expanded internationally, with her designs being sold in the United States through JCPenney department stores. To meet growing demand, she moved into mass production and created a secondary, more affordable clothing line called Ginger Group.

The mid-1960s marked the height of Quant’s fame. In addition to the micro-mini, she introduced the “paint box” makeup in 1966—a ready-to-use palette of cosmetics that complemented her fashion vision. Her bold, shiny plastic raincoats and little gray pinafore dresses became synonymous with 1960s fashion. Her brand further expanded into patterned tights, accessories, and cosmetics.

In recognition of her groundbreaking contributions to fashion, Quant was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966. She accepted the honor at Buckingham Palace wearing one of her signature short jersey dresses and cut-away gloves. That same year, she authored her first book, Quant by Quant.

Late 1960s and Beyond

Mary Quant went on to popularize hot pants in the late 1960s and opened a third boutique in London in 1967. As the 1970s and 1980s progressed, she shifted her focus to household goods, expanding her fashion offerings, and launching a makeup line. She even created and marketed a children’s doll named Daisy, inspired by her brand’s floral logo. By 2000, her cosmetics line had gained international recognition, with over 200 Mary Quant Colour shops in Japan. That same year, Quant resigned as director of Mary Quant Ltd. following a Japanese buyout but remained an advisor to the company.

In 1988, Quant designed the interior of the Mini Designer, a limited-edition car featuring black and white striped seats with red accents. Additionally, she continued to write, publishing several books on makeup and fashion throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Her final autobiography, Mary Quant: My Autobiography, was released in 2012.

Honors and Awards

Quant’s first major recognition came in 1963 when The Sunday Times awarded her the International Award. In 1966, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her contribution to the fashion industry. In December 2014, she was made a Dame for her continued influence. In 1990, the British Fashion Council inducted her into its Hall of Fame. One of her iconic outfits was also featured on a British postage stamp in 2009.

Quant’s legacy was celebrated with two major retrospectives. The first, Mary Quant’s London, was held at the London Museum from November 1973 to June 1974. Later, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London showcased a 120-piece exhibit focusing on the first two decades of her career, which ran from April 2019 to February 2020, before traveling to the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in summer 2022.

Death and Legacy

Mary Quant passed away on April 13, 2023, at the age of 93 at her home in Surrey, just outside of London. A key figure in the Swinging Sixties, she was renowned for her bob haircuts, designed by Vidal Sassoon, her bold designs, and her democratization of fashion. “Snobbery has gone out of fashion, and in our shops, you will find duchesses jostling with typists to buy the same dress,” she once remarked, capturing her egalitarian approach to style. Quant was also one of the first celebrity designers to build a brand around her name.

In 2021, a documentary titled Quant, directed by Sadie Frost, explored her life and enduring impact. The film featured insights from notable figures such as model Kate Moss, designer Vivienne Westwood, and British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful.