Workers for Freedom

Last updated

Workers for Freedom
IndustryFashion
Founded1985
FounderGraham Fraser and Richard Nott
Headquarters
London
,
England

Workers for Freedom was a British fashion label that was launched in 1985 by Graham Fraser and Richard Nott. The brand was awarded Designer of the Year in 1989 at the British Fashion Awards. [1]

Contents

The brand look was described by the LA Times as: "rich-hippie intellectual clothes". [2] The Glasgow Herald , on the other hand, summarised it as: "a stylishness based on subtlety and fine construction which stands remote from fashion's general glitzkrieg and the obstructive shoulder pad". [3]

Workers for Freedom's design signatures included flowing shapes and ethnic-inspired details. It was particularly known for appliqué (widely copied on the high street) and intricate tie fastenings on garments such as shirts. Initially, its range was aimed at men but it soon expanded to womenswear. [4] Some of its strongest early sales were with buyers from the United States, Italy and Japan – it had over 30 overseas clients by 1987. [3] [4]

In the wake of its British Designer of the Year award, The Guardian noted that the label had: "built a reputation for wearable, beautifully made clothes always incorporating something surprising". [5]

Establishment of the label

Graham Fraser and Richard Nott founded Workers for Freedom in 1985; the name sounded radical but they said it was chosen because they hoped it would give them the freedom to work for themselves. [6] Describing the inspiration for the name in 1987, Fraser said it was about: "artistic and financial freedom to develop without the restraints imposed by big business". [3]

The duo were in their 30s when they established the brand, and with substantial fashion industry experience. Richard Nott had been a fashion lecturer at Kingston Polytechnic, before which he worked for Valentino in Italy. Graham Fraser, meanwhile, had worked for a variety of fashion retailers, including the boutique Feathers, culminating in a merchandising role at Liberty where he was handling a budget of £10m. [3]

Both had, at one time, worked with the leading 1970s designer Christopher McDonnell – Fraser was in a business partnership with him at Marrian-McDonnell for a short period while Nott spent a nine-month spell as assistant. [7] [8] Indeed, The Times fashion editor Prudence Glynn tipped Nott for the top in 1972, describing him as: "an exceptionally promising new design talent" and noting that his graduation show had attracted considerable interest from Marc Bohan at Dior. [8]

Fraser and Nott were partners in their private and professional lives; in a feature about successful fashion couples – also featuring the husband and wife behind Clements RibeiroThe Guardian said the pair had been a couple for a decade before finally deciding to work together on their own brand. [9]

A 1990 profile, by which time Fraser was 41 and Nott 42, gave a bit more detail about their industry experience. Fraser had trained as an accountant and worked at both high-end and mass market retailers – with stints as a buyer for Harrods and Wallis – before joining Liberty. Nott had trained at Kingston Polytechnic before working in Italy and then moving into academia back at Kingston. [4] A loan of £15,000 from a bank had enabled them to set up a small company – initially producing men's shirts and sweaters – before the label expanded into womenswear. [4] They also had a private financial backer and the label was founded with hands-on assistance from ex-Calvin Klein staffer Sarah Mayhew-Coomber and her husband Stephen. [10]

The brand's store was at 4/4a Lower John Street, Soho. [11] It comprised just 280sq ft of selling space. [12] Their first catwalk show took place in March 1987. [12]

Early design hallmarks

Early ranges that came to the attention of the national press included tasselled waistcoats, peasant-style skirts, chunky jumpers and cardigans and fringed woollen shawls worn with deep-crowned felt hats. [13] Describing their global inspirations, The Times wrote: "They started with middle-European cowboys, travelled through Mediterranean ports and Bavarian hunting lodges and are about to wade through a Mississippi swamp. This may sound like an excerpt from an Indiana Jones movie but is, in fact, a run through the themes Workers for Freedom, the London designers, have used for their collections and shop decor since they opened in October 1985. [12] Noting that the label's biggest seller in autumn/winter 1986 was a double-layer chiffon skirt and the current season's reprise of this concept was a shirtwaister in chiffon and lace, the article said that the label had proved that: "young fashion need not be outrageous, unflattering or unaffordable". It also said that Fraser and Nott had, thus far, avoided PR launches and other attention-grabbing tactics only to find themselves at the centre of media interest. [12]

International expansion

The excitement surrounding the brand was international. By 1987, Workers for Freedom was opening a store within Bergdorf Goodman in New York, set to feature a mural of the Mississippi on the walls and with an opening party to be attended by Cher and Tatum O'Neal. [14] At this stage, the brand was stocked in Browns in London, a designer store in Beauchamp Place and Glasgow boutique Ichi ni San, with over 30 overseas accounts mainly in Japan, Italy and the US. [3] The following year, Workers for Freedom featured at Harrods as part of a promotion of British design for London Fashion Week, alongside names such as John Galliano, Jasper Conran and Paul Costelloe. [15]

By 1988, it was reported that Workers for Freedom's garments were being made in Japan. [16] By 1989, the company had a lower-priced diffusion range called White that featured some of its higher-end best-sellers. [17]

Designer of the Year Award

The Times tipped three names for the Designer of the Year Award less than a month ahead of the British Fashion Awards – Workers for Freedom, the previous year's winner Rifat Ozbek and rising star Joe Casely-Hayford. [18] Workers for Freedom picked up the prize, which was presented by Princess Diana, Summarising the brand's appeal, The Times said it had: "romantic folkloric style that remains in essence very British". [19] In the succeeding fashion season, Workers for Freedom experienced an upturn in orders and interest, with Graham Nott saying: "You gain a little bit of confidence". [20]

Workers for Freedom's spring 1990 showing featured more styles in this feminine vein, including: "flounced skirts, ribbon-trimmed jackets and shirts in suede as well as wool". However, there were fewer buyers in London due to retailing problems worldwide. Katharine Hamnett and John Galliano had chosen to show in Paris, while Rifat Ozbek screened a video rather than a holding a full catwalk show. [21]

Later years

In 1990, Fraser and Nott signed a marketing agreement with Marco Rivetti's Gruppo Finanziario Tessile (GFT), the Italian company that had promoted names such as Armani, Montana, Ungaro and Valentino to international audiences during the 1970s. Under the terms of the deal, Workers for Freedom would be promoted across North America by GFT. [4] [22] It was also reported that Workers for Freedom had produced another 10 tiger-print silk shirts for Paul McCartney's world tour (to add to the 40 or 50 in his collection) and it had some copyright cases to pursue, with The Times noting that: "The pirating of Worker's [sic] stylish appliquė shirts has become an industry sport". [4]

By this stage, the company's clients included Diana Ross, Duran Duran and Vanessa Redgrave. Doris Saatchi, it was reported, ordered their silk robes in multiples. [4] Fraser and Nott ended their Designer of the Year reign with a fashion show at Dayton Hudson in Minneapolis, where they showed alongside Yohji Yamamoto, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Geoffrey Beene. [23] Fashion editor Liz Smith said the brand's signatures such as embroidery and appliqué were what attracted American store buyers, adding: "Here are two designers who ignore the trend towards high hemlines and go on doing their own thing". [24]

In 1991, it was reported that continued financial pressure – worldwide recession, poor exchange rates and the Gulf War – had cut the budget of many high-spending foreign buyers who traditionally headed for London Fashion Week and Workers for Freedom, Jasper Conran and Bruce Oldfield were among those who chose not to stage a traditional catwalk show that spring – the official line to the press being that this was a curb on "unnecessary hype", rather than an economy. [25]

In 1994, Fraser and Nott took a break from the business, returning to designing two years later after securing a new backer. [26] In 1998, Fraser and Nott sold Workers for Freedom, taking on the tenancy of the National Trust property Stoneacre in Kent. Fraser had begun a garden design course and Nott was focusing on his painting. [27]

Legacy

Workers for Freedom clothes are in several archives, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. In 2013, Workers for Freedom – along with BodyMap, Katharine Hamnett and Betty Jackson – featured in the V&A's From Club to Catwalk exhibition, which charted the influence of street styles on British high fashion. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Smith (fashion designer)</span> English fashion designer

Sir Paul Brierley Smith is an English fashion designer. His reputation is founded on his designs for men's clothing, but his business has expanded into other areas as well. Smith was made a Royal Designer for Industry in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Galliano</span> British fashion designer (born 1960)

John Charles Galliano,, is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. Since 2014, Galliano has been the creative director of Paris-based fashion house Maison Margiela. Galliano has been named British Designer of the Year four times. In a 2004 poll for the BBC, he was named the fifth most influential person in British culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dior</span> French fashion company

Christian Dior SE, commonly known as Dior, is a French multinational luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. Dior holds 42.36% shares and 59.01% of voting rights within LVMH.

Willi Donnell Smith was an American fashion designer. At the time of his death, Smith was regarded as one of the most successful African-American designers in the fashion industry. His company, WilliWear Limited, launched in 1976 and by 1986 grossed over $25 million in sales. After Smith's death, his business partner, Laurie Mallet, continued the line with various designers creating collections. Without Smith, the company floundered and due to financial problems and poor sales, WilliWear Limited ceased production in 1990. WilliWear was the first clothing company to create womenswear and menswear under the same label. The accessibility and affordability of Smith's clothing helped to democratize fashion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katharine Hamnett</span> English fashion designer

Katharine Eleanor Hamnett is an English fashion designer best known for her political T-shirts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Hulanicki</span> Fashion designer and founder of Biba clothes store

Barbara Hulanicki is a fashion designer, born in Warsaw, Poland, to Polish parents and best known as the founder of clothes store Biba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion show</span> Event of displaying latest clothing and apparel collection

A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons. This is where designers seek to promote their new fashions. The four major fashion weeks in the world, collectively known as the "Big 4", in chronological order of their eponymous fashion weeks, are those held in New York City, London, Milan, and Paris. Berlin fashion week is also of global importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manish Arora</span> Indian fashion designer

Manish Arora is an Indian fashion designer based in New Delhi. In early 2011, he was appointed creative director of the womenswear collection of the French fashion house Paco Rabanne, although he left the company in May 2012.

Cutler and Gross is a British luxury eyewear brand, founded by Graham Cutler and Tony Gross in 1969. It is based in the Knightsbridge area of London.

Mr Freedom was a clothing boutique in London which sold fashion by a number of young designers commissioned by the owner, designer Tommy Roberts, and his partner, Trevor Myles. Celebrities such as Freddie Mercury and Elton John wore designs from the shop which was at 430 King's Road in Chelsea, London from 1969–70 and then at 20 Kensington Church Street in Kensington.

Joseph is a luxury fashion brand and retail chain that was established in London by Moroccan entrepreneur Joseph Ettedgui and his family in 1972.

BodyMap was an influential British fashion label of the 1980s, renowned for its layered and innovatively structured shapes, distinctive prints and groundbreaking fashion shows.

Wendy Dagworthy OBE is an English former fashion designer and now design academic. During her career she has led fashion design teaching at both the Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins, mentoring notable fashion designers including Stella McCartney and Hussein Chalayan. An influential designer in her own right in the 1970s and '80s with the Wendy Dagworthy label, and one of the founders of London Fashion Week, she was described by the Daily Telegraph as: "the high priestess of British fashion".

Christopher McDonnell is a British fashion designer who operated in the UK between the 1960s and 1980s. In the US, he was known under his own name, and in the UK he operated under the brand name Marrian-McDonnell before switching to an eponymous label in 1973.

Gerald McCann was a British fashion designer who was considered among the leading lights of the Swinging London fashion scene, alongside names such as Mary Quant, subsequently moving to the United States to continue his career with Larry Levine.

Maison Margiela, formerly Maison Martin Margiela, is a French luxury fashion house founded by Belgian designer Martin Margiela and Jenny Meirens in 1988 and headquartered in Paris. The house produces both haute couture-inspired artisanal collections and ready-to-wear collections, with the former influencing the designs of the latter. Product lines include womenswear, menswear, jewellery, footwear, accessories, leather goods, perfumes and household goods. Known for deconstructive and avant-garde designs with unconventional materials, Maison Margiela has traditionally held live shows in unusual settings, for example empty metro stations and street corners. Models' faces are often obscured by fabric or long hair to direct attention to the clothes and design. Margiela resigned as creative designer in 2009 and John Galliano was appointed to the role in 2014.

Lachasse was a British couture firm operating from 1928 until 2006, making it one of the longest surviving high fashion houses in London.

Sheilagh Brown is a British fashion designer who began her career in the 1960s, as part of the Swinging London scene. She was among the designers for Stirling Cooper, working subsequently at Coopers and Quorum, before establishing the label Barnett and Brown with Sheridan Barnett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Flett (fashion designer)</span> British fashion designer

John Flett was a British fashion designer who achieved early success with his own brand before designing briefly for Claude Montana. He died of a heart attack at the age of 27, while working in Florence.

JW Anderson is a UK fashion label, founded by Jonathan Anderson. Anderson originally from Magherafelt in Northern Ireland established JW Anderson in 2008 and subsequently launched his fashion house in London. The brand initially focused on menswear, before moving into womenswear in 2010. From 2012 onwards, the brand and its designer have collaborated with a number of retail fashion brands, most notably Topshop, Versace, and Uniqlo, with LVMH acquiring a minority stake in the brand in 2013.

References

  1. Morris, Bernadine (12 March 1990). "Qurky Britain in Fashion's Sea". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  2. McColl, Pat (14 March 1990). "Weekend Surprises : Fashion: Short was the watchword at the London shows". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Simpson, Anne (14 May 1987). "The Freedom of Choice". The Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Smith, Liz (15 May 1990). "Stylish revelations take on a global application". The Times. No. 63706. p. 19.
  5. Rumbold, Judy (19 October 1989). "Up the Workers!". The Guardian. p. 38.
  6. Anderson, Lisa (18 October 1989). "Princess Diana Crowns British Gala a Success". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  7. Modlinger, Jackie (13 March 1973). "Label Fable". The Guardian.
  8. 1 2 Glynn, Prudence (8 February 1972). "Going Private". The Times. No. 58396.
  9. Storey, Helen (3 March 1997). "A perfect fit? London fashion week is over and the world knows it". The Guardian. p. A4.
  10. Hoare, Sara-Jane (23 February 1986). "Leading Men". The Guardian. p. 53.
  11. "Keeping on course at the sales". The Times. No. 62658. 6 January 1987. p. 11.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Swamp fever takes a trip". The Times. No. 62694. 17 February 1987. p. 11.
  13. Tyrrel, Rebecca (7 January 1986). "Hot tips for cold comfort". The Times. No. 62338. p. 13.
  14. "People". The Times. No. 62664. 13 January 1987. p. 11.
  15. "Galliano. Azagury. Ronay. Klein. Have British names every been more fashionable? (advert)". The Times. No. 63027. 15 March 1988.
  16. Smith, Liz (8 October 1988). "Designer-wrapped for the world". The Times. No. 63207.
  17. Smith, Liz (14 March 1989). "Don't worry, be positive". The Times. No. 63341. p. 18.
  18. "Who will be top name?". The Times. No. 63509. 26 September 1989. p. 13.
  19. Smith, Liz (18 October 1989). "Royal follower of fashion". The Times. No. 63528.
  20. Smith, Liz (10 March 1990). "Nice work if you can find it". The Times. No. 63650.
  21. Smith, Liz (13 March 1990). "Putting zip into this sporting life". The Times. No. 63652.
  22. Saxon, Wolfgang (19 July 1996). "Marco Rivetti, 52, Marketer of Italian Designer Labels". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  23. Smith, Liz (13 October 1990). "What a wonderful swirl". The Times. No. 63836.
  24. Smith, Liz (16 October 1990). "Yes, that was the Sixties, that was". The Times. No. 63838. p. 19.
  25. Smith, Liz (12 March 1991). "Polishing up the British act". The Times. No. 63963. p. 18.
  26. Blanchard, Tamsin; Rickey, Melanie (23 February 1997). "London Fashion Week: A Capital A to Z". The Independent. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  27. Gatti, Anne (8 May 2004). "Floral freedom". The Times. No. 68070. p. 37(s2).
  28. Dowd, Vincent (11 July 2013). "How '80s club culture came to the catwalk". BBC. Retrieved 14 June 2015.