This article needs additional citations for verification .(July 2018) |
Kahn & Bell was a fashion label and boutique established by Jane Kahn and Patti Bell in Hurst Street, Birmingham, England in 1976. [1] At the forefront of the emergence of the look of the New Romantic movement [2] they designed clothes for notable bands including Duran Duran [3] and Shock. [4] Simon Le Bon wrote the Duran Duran song Khanada about Jane Kahn.
Kahn and Bell's elaborate and theatrical style brought together a wide range of influences, including Egyptian, African and Far Eastern art, and combined them with elements of futurism and fantasy. [5] [6]
While Kahn & Bell were frequently one step ahead of the capital, they received little attention for this, and "when similarities to London designers were seen in their collections it was considered that Birmingham had copied London," the New Romantic journal New Sounds New Styles observed in 1981. [1] Blueprint reviewed their importance in 1988:
Kahn and Bell had particular impact. Holding court at the Zanzibar, resplendent in leopardskin and padded shoulders, dripping diamonte with leather devils' tails hanging down between their legs, they looked on good nights like Egyptian Queens, like Ancient Babylonians. On not so good nights, they resembled Brassaï's Moma Bijou -"fugitives from Baudelaire's bad dreams", and even then they looked magnificent. For Kahn and Bell and those who followed their lead, identity wasn't something you nailed yourself into in late adolescence. It was a trick of the light, and if you were to avoid burning yourself out (a real risk this, when you sold clothes all day and promoted them all night), then you simply let the flames lick over you and turned the ashes into kohl. [7]
It has been argued over the years by many fashion magazines that Kahn and Bell never reached their true potential as London was always considered the capital of UK fashion. They perhaps missed their "window of opportunity" for global success as they, unlike many designers, never "licensed" their brand, never relocated, as Kahn and Bell, to London and would not compromise their unique "style".
Kahn and Bell eventually went their separate ways in the 1980s. Kahn relocated to London and enjoyed a measure of success alone but was never able to recreate the inspirational "look" that Kahn and Bell had achieved previously.
Bell went on to enjoy continued success with her outlandish, inspired and thought-provoking collections. With clients and customers from all over Europe, SE Asia and Japan, Bell remained a "grass roots" designer, and would appear every weekend at London's Camden Market, whilst remaining a resident of Birmingham. She died in January 2024. [8]
Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewellery, and body modifications of the punk counterculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited to the dressed-down look of North American hardcore. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including glam rock, skinheads, greasers, and mods have influenced punk fashion. Punk fashion has likewise influenced the styles of these groups, as well as those of popular culture. Many punks use clothing as a way of making a statement.
Duran Duran are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled in May 1980 as Rhodes, Taylor, singer Simon Le Bon, guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor.
Karl Otto Lagerfeld was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director.
Nigel John Taylor is a British musician who is best known as the bass guitarist for new wave band Duran Duran, of which he was a founding member. Duran Duran was one of the most popular bands in the world during the 1980s due in part to their music videos which played in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV. Taylor played with Duran Duran from its founding in 1978 until 1997, when he left to pursue a solo recording and film career. He recorded a dozen solo releases through his private record label B5 Records over the next four years, had a lead role in the movie Sugar Town, and made appearances in a half dozen other film projects. He rejoined Duran Duran for a reunion of the original five members in 2001 and has remained with the group since.
New Romantic was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New Romantic movement was characterised by flamboyant, eccentric fashion inspired by fashion boutiques such as Kahn and Bell in Birmingham and PX in London. Early adherents of the movement were often referred to by the press by such names as Blitz Kids, New Dandies and Romantic Rebels.
Rio is the second studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 10 May 1982 through EMI. Produced by Colin Thurston, the band wrote and demoed most of the material before recording the album at AIR Studios in London from January to March 1982. The band utilised more experimentation compared to their debut album, from vibraphone and marimba to the sound of a cigarette being lit and cracking ice cubes. Andy Hamilton played a saxophone solo on "Rio".
Nick Rhodes is an English keyboardist and producer, best known as a founding member and the keyboardist of the band Duran Duran.
Stephen Anthony James Duffy, also known as Tin Tin, is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist, and then drummer of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo performer under several different names, and is the singer and songwriter for The Lilac Time with his elder brother Nick. He has also co-written with Robbie Williams and Steven Page.
Antony Price is an English fashion designer best known for evening wear and suits, and for being as much an "image-maker" as a designer. He has collaborated with a number of high-profile musicians, including David Bowie, Robert Palmer, Iva Davies, Steve Strange, and Duran Duran, but especially Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music, whose look was defined by Price's designs. The manner in which Price dressed – or in many cases, undressed – the "Roxy girls" on the covers of their albums helped to define the band's pop retro-futurism.
Simon John Charles Le Bon is a British singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the new wave band Duran Duran and its offshoot Arcadia. Le Bon has received three Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. He also received an MBE from King Charles III in 2024.
Warren Bruce Cuccurullo is an American musician, songwriter, restaurant owner, and former bodybuilder who first worked with Frank Zappa during the 1970s. He was also a founding member of Missing Persons in the 1980s. In 1989 Cuccurullo joined Duran Duran, becoming a long-term member of the band until 2001. In 2022, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Duran Duran.
The Rum Runner was a nightclub on Broad Street, Birmingham. The club operated from 1964 until its demolition in 1987.
Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain was a French fashion designer and founder of leading post-war fashion house Balmain. Known for sophistication and elegance, he described the art of dressmaking as "the architecture of movement".
Notorious is the fourth studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 24 November 1986 by EMI Records. Produced by the band with Nile Rodgers, its musical style differed from the band's previous albums with a funk rock sound. It is the first album to feature the band as a trio with singer Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and bassist John Taylor, as drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor both left by the time the album was released. Andy Taylor would later be replaced by former Missing Persons guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, who completed recording parts of the album in addition to Rodgers and session drummer Steve Ferrone.
Fashion of the 1980s was characterized by a rejection of 1970s fashion. Punk fashion began as a reaction against both the hippie movement of the past decades and the materialist values of the current decade. The first half of the decade was relatively tame in comparison to the second half, which was when apparel became very bright and vivid in appearance.
Fashion in the 1970s was about individuality. In the early 1970s, Vogue proclaimed "There are no rules in the fashion game now" due to overproduction flooding the market with cheap synthetic clothing. Common items included mini skirts, bell-bottoms popularized by hippies, vintage clothing from the 1950s and earlier, and the androgynous glam rock and disco styles that introduced platform shoes, bright colors, glitter, and satin.
History of fashion design refers specifically to the development of the purpose and intention behind garments, shoes, accessories, and their design and construction. The modern industry, based around firms or fashion houses run by individual designers, started in the 19th century with Charles Frederick Worth who, beginning in 1858, was the first designer to have his label sewn into the garments he created.
The Clothes Show is a consumer exhibition brand held annually in December at the Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre. The event showcases the latest fashion, beauty and music.
"Only After Dark" is a compilation album that was compiled by Nick Rhodes and John Taylor from Duran Duran, and recreates a night at Birmingham's Rum Runner nightclub, during the post punk days of the late 70s/early 80s when a new sound of glam/punk/electronica started to crystallize. The CD captures some of the discs that Nick spun when he was deejaying for £10 a night at the club and Duran Duran were the resident band. The inspiration for it came when in 2000 John and Nick spent hours selecting 58 tracks for a 4-hour Internet radio broadcast entitled "A Night At The Rum Runner". The broadcast was created and mixed by DJOktober and played on the streaming platform Live365 from December, 2000 through February, 2001; and again from June, 2001 through September, 2002. The 18 track CD was released on 8 May 2006 and presented in a silver gatefold card sleeve in shocking pink metallic print featuring photographs taken from this period, first published in the book "Duran Duran Unseen" by Paul Edmond, the front cover photo being of fashion designer Patti Bell.
Isabel Marant is a French fashion designer, owner of the eponymous fashion brand. She won the Award de la Mode (1997), the Whirlpool Award for best female designer (1998), Fashion Designer of the Year at British Glamour's Women of the Year Awards (2012). She was named Contemporary Designer of the Year at the Elle Style Awards in 2014. Her collaboration with H&M in 2013 was so successful that company's website crashed under the demand and the collection was sold out within 45 minutes. Celebrities wearing Marant's designs include Alexa Chung, Katie Holmes, Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Kate Bosworth, and Rachel Weisz.