Dame Zandra Lindsey RhodesDBERDI (born 19 September 1940), is an English fashion and textile designer. Her early education in fashion set the foundation for a career in the industry creating textile prints. Rhodes has designed garments for Diana, Princess of Wales and numerous celebrities such as rock stars Freddie Mercury and Marc Bolan. She has also designed textiles for interiors, featuring her prints on furniture and homewares. In 2003 Rhodes founded the Fashion and Textile Museum in London.
Over her 50 year career Rhodes has won numerous awards recognising contribution within the fashion industry, including Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in the Performing Arts – Costume Design 1979,[1] Designer of The Year in 1972 and the Walpole British Luxury Legend Award 2019.[2] A Rhodes dress featured on a commemorative UK postage stamp issued by Royal Mail in 2012 celebrating Great British Fashion.[3]
Early life and education
Rhodes was born 19 September 1940, in Chatham, Kent, England.[1] Her mother was a fitter at the House of Worth in Paris and later became a professor at Medway College of Art, now the University for the Creative Arts.[4] Her father was in the air force in Egypt and later became a lorry driver.[5] Three years after Rhodes was born, her mother gave birth to her sister Beverley Rhodes.[5] Rhodes' mother having an occupational background in fashion, the industry was instilled in her as an adolescent;[6] she has described her mother as one of her greatest influences, to whom she owes her career.[7]
Rhodes first studied at Medway College of Art; her major area of study was printed textile design in England.[4] Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and textile designer Emilio Pucci were a few of Zandra Rhodes' early influences.[1] Textile design instructor Barbara Brown inspired her interest in textile designs during the course of her studies.[1] Rhodes later furthered her education under a scholarship at Royal College of Art.[1] She strayed away from the traditional patterns many designers were producing to create furniture.[4] Rhodes utilised her skill towards designing patterns to create garments.[4] In 1964, Zandra Rhodes graduated with a degree in home furnishing textile design.[1]
Rhodes' early textile fashion designs were considered outrageous by the traditional British manufacturers, which made it hard to find work. In 1968 Rhodes started a business with fashion designer Sylvia Ayton. The two designers opened a boutique called Fulham Road Clothes Shop. The business allowed Rhodes to create her textile designs onto garments designed by Sylvia Ayton.[6] She produced her first collection showing loose, romantic garments.[8]
In 1969, Rhodes and Ayton went their separate ways, with Rhodes establishing her own studio in Paddington in west London. As a freelancer she released her first solo collection. The collection of garments received recognition from both the British and American market. Marit Allen, editor of American Vogue at the time featured pieces of Rhodes’s collection in an issue.[9] Receiving recognition by Marit Allen persuaded high end retailers like Henri Bendel, Fortnum and Mason, Neiman Marcus, and Saks to purchase her collection.[4] Rhodes's own lifestyle proved to be as dramatic, glamorous and extrovert as her designs. With her hair a vivid shade of bright green (later changed to pink, and sometimes red or other colours), her face painted with theatrical makeup and audacious art jewellery swinging from her neck, ears and arms, she stamped her identity on the international world of fashion.[6]
Rhodes was one of the new wave of British designers who put London at the forefront of the international fashion scene in the 1970s. Her designs are considered clear, creative statements; dramatic but graceful; audacious but feminine. Rhodes's inspiration has been from organic material and nature. Her unconventional and colourful prints were often inspired by travel; chevron stripes from Ukraine and the symbols of the North American Indian, Japanese flowers, calligraphy and shells.[8] Her approach to the construction of garments can be seen in her use of reversed exposed seams and in her use of jewelled safety pins and tears during the punk era.[10]
Rhodes created handmade evening wear using her unique feminine textiles. Each garment created incorporates different types of feminine style into place. She made her biggest splash in 1977 with the establishment take on punk, which she called Conceptual Chic.[11][12] She created dresses with holes and beaded safety pins – 10 years before Versace – to form a sort of embroidery, mixed with loosely drawn figures screen-printed on silk jersey, or on the newly developed Ultra suede fabric.[8] When she creates her garments a lot of thought goes into the construction. Simplistic shapes help mould the foundation of Rhodes's garments. The foundation of the shapes, functions as an enhancer that maximizes the effects of her prints. She achieves this look by using techniques including layering, smocking, and shirring.[6] All of Zandra Rhodes's garments are constructed around the design of her distinct prints, despite being structured around the formation of the dress.[clarification needed][9]
Rhodes has branched out from fashion, bringing her textiles into other design disciplines. In 1976 Rhodes designed her first interior home décor collection, licensed under Wamsutta.[1] The collection featured household linens, glassware, cushions, throws, and rugs. Zandra Rhodes also used her signature prints to create, ties, lingerie, and a fragrance.[9] In 1995 she established a studio in California to develop an interior design business.[15]
Rhodes is the founder of the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, which opened in May 2003. The four-million-dollar project took approximately seven years for architect Ricardo Legorreta to build.[18] The museum provides exhibitions and educational programs for fashion students. Contained in the museum is a library and lecture room that will help immerse people into the ways fashion has impacted society throughout the years.[18] In the first exhibit titled "My Favourite Dress" there are dresses from over seventy fashion designers including Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan, Valentino, and Giorgio Armani.[18] Zandra Rhodes personally asked each designer to choose one of their favourite dresses for the exhibit.[18] It was important for Rhodes to incorporate other designers into the exhibit so the museum provided a nuance of design besides from her own,[18] although the museum withholds a variety of designers' garments. Rhodes included three thousand of her own original garments, and her sketch books and silk screens.[18] The Fashion and Textile Museum produces shows a year, with changing exhibits.[18] On 22 September 2006 she appeared as herself on the long-running BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. Rhodes received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2007.[19] She appeared, as herself, in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous during the BBC show's second season. Rhodes was a guest judge for the first episode of the third season of Project Catwalk.[20]
In November 2010, Rhodes was appointed chancellor of the University for the Creative Arts,[21] one of the UK's newest universities and only the second to focus specifically on art and design. An official installation ceremony was held in June 2010 in the Banquet House, Whitehall, accompanied by a fashion show.[citation needed]
Marks and Spencers introduced the upmarket Zandra Rhodes collection, modelled and made by Rhodes, into the bigger stores by late 2009. She has her own collection of jewellery. The Zandra Rhodes jewelry includes five separate collections, which are Oriental Whisper collection, Punk Chic collection, Lovely Lilies collection, Signature collection and Manhattan Lady collection.[citation needed]
A more recent jewellery collection created in collaboration with Adele Marie London, called Zandra Rhodes for Adele Marie, launched in August 2011. This collection features iconic pieces of Rhodes's early textiles work remade as jewellery. Rhodes launched a handbag range made under licence by Blueprint in 2010 and has also collaborated to produce a bed linen range and a new improved outdoor clothing range.[citation needed]
On 26 March 2013, Rhodes launched a Digital Study collection of 500 of her iconic garments from her private archive, as well as drawings and behind-the-scenes interviews and tutorials in her studio.[22] The Zandra Rhodes Digital Study collection was developed through a project led by the University for the Creative Arts and funded by Jisc. Making key garments she designed available for student study worldwide.[23]
In September 2021, Rhodes launched a 26-piece homeware collection with Ikea of Sweden, available globally in-stores and online.[24]
1978 Fellow of the Society of Industrial Arts,[1] Moore College of Art Award, Philadelphia[1]
1979 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in the Performing Arts Costume Design[28]
1983 British Designer, Clothing and Export Council and National Economic Development Committee
1985 Alpha award for Best Show of the Year, Saks Fifth Avenue, New Orleans[29]
1986-Women of Distinction Award, Northwood Institute, Dallas[29]
1990 Number One Textile Designer, Observer Magazine[29]
1995 Hall of Fame Award, British Fashion Council
1997 Golden Hanger award for lifetime achievement, Fashion Careers of California College, San Diego[29]
1998 Leading Woman Entrepreneur of the World by the Star Group U.S.A.,[29] Honor award from the National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association Honor for Del Mar Terrace[29]
2006 Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award[30]
Rhodes describes former president of Warner BrothersSalah Hassanein (1921–2019) as having been her long-standing partner, and the greatest love of her life, until his death in 2019.[7][31]
Crystal, David (ed.) (1998) "Rhodes, Zandra (1940–)" The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia Second edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England;
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.
Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. In 2022, Sky Arts ranked her the 4th most influential artist in Britain of the last 50 years.
The Fashion and Textile Museum is an English museum.
Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian fashion designer from an aristocratic background. She created the house of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, which she managed from the 1930s to the 1950s. Starting with knitwear, Schiaparelli's designs celebrated Surrealism and eccentric fashions. Her collections were famous for unconventional and artistic themes like the human body, insects, or trompe-l'œil, and for the use of bright colors like her "shocking pink".
Manuel "Manolo" Blahnik Rodríguez is a Spanish fashion designer and founder of the eponymous high-end shoe brand.
Wallis is an online British women's clothing brand. Previously a retailer, Wallis operated from 134 stores and 126 concessions across the UK and Republic of Ireland. Wallis was a subsidiary of the Arcadia Group before its collapse in late 2020. The brand is now owned by Boohoo.com.
Bonnie Cashin was an American fashion designer. Considered a pioneer in the design of American sportswear, she created innovative, uncomplicated clothing that catered to the modern, independent woman beginning in the post-war era through to her retirement from the fashion world in 1985.
Pam Hogg is a Scottish fashion designer who launched her first fashion collection in 1981. She has created clothes for the likes of Ian Astbury of The Cult, Paula Yates, Marie Helvin, Siouxsie Sioux and Debbie Harry of Blondie.
House of Flora is an established British fashion label and design house founded by designer Flora McLean.
Paper clothing is garments and accessories made from paper or paper substitutes.
Mary Katrantzou is a Greek fashion designer who lives and works in London.
Bianca Mosca, born Bianca Lea Rosa Mottironi, was a London-based fashion designer who rose to prominence during the 1940s and was the only woman member of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers (IncSoc), which represented the interests of the British couture industry. In her heyday she was described as "one of the big 10 of the British fashion world", the others being Digby Morton, Norman Hartnell, Charles Creed, Molyneux, Worth, Mattli, Victor Stiebel, Hardy Amies, and Peter Russell. Her firm closed in 1949, a year before her death.
Carol McNicoll is an English studio potter whose work is mainly decorative slipcast ware, she is credited with helping to transform the British ceramics scene in the late 1970s.
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.
Althea McNishCM FSCD was an artist from Trinidad who became the first Black British textile designer to earn an international reputation.
Amber Jane Butchart is a British fashion historian and writer. She has researched and appeared in programmes on the BBC, Channel 4, and Sky Arts. In 2018, she presented the BBC documentary series A Stitch in Time. Butchart teaches at London College of Fashion, and consults with the British police as a forensic garment analyst. She has also published several books on fashion history.
Judy Hornby, also known as Judith Hornby, is a British-born American-based former model, fashion designer and boutique owner. In 1971 one of her ensembles, designed for her by Graziella Fontana, was chosen as the Dress of the Year. She then went on to become a successful American fashion designer.
Dante is the eighth collection launched by the British fashion designer Alexander McQueen. The concept for this collection was mainly inspired by the 14th century Florentine poet, writer and philosopher Dante Alighieri and his famous work Divine Comedy. The show was set in the Christ Church in Spitalfields on 1 March 1996. Some of the garments featured prints of Don McCullin’s photographs taken during the Vietnam War (1955-1975) and crucifix masks inspired in the photographer and a continuous referent in McQueen’s work, Joel-Peter Witkin’s self-portraits; the looks for this show also included Philip Treacy headpieces. The show was dedicated to McQueen’s long-time friend and muse, Isabella Blow; it constituted a commentary on religion and war.
Janice Wainwright was a British fashion designer. She was known for creating glamorous bias-cut and tailored pieces using high quality fabrics featuring intricate embroidery and applique and ran her own successful fashion label from 1972 to 1990.
Music and fashion have long been closely linked. Artistic movements in music have often been associated with distinct fashions. Both industries have also had considerable influence on each other. Many famous musicians have also had notable styles and influenced fashion.
References
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kellogg, Ann T. (2002). In an Influential Fashion: An Encyclopedia of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Fashion Designers and Retailers Who Transformed Dress. Westport (Conn.): Greenwood Press. pp.257–258. ISBN9780313312205.
1 2 3 Marsh, June (2012). History of Fashion. UK: Vivays Publishing. p.137. ISBN9781908126214.
1 2 3 Steele, Valerie., ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion. Farmington Hills, MI: Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN0-684-31394-4. OCLC55085919.
↑ Hyde, Nina S. (29 October 1977). "And Now 'Punk Chic'". The Washington Post. The French are not the first to exploit punk fashion. British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes incorporated rips and tears and safety pins into $600 silk crepe dresses a season back [spring 1977]. Stores like Sakowitz in Houston sold them 'rather well,' according to Robert Sakowitz, the store owner.
↑ Morris, Bernadine (17 September 1977). "All Around Town, a Week of Lavish Couture Openings". The New York Times: 19. Retrieved 4 April 2022. ...Zandra Rhodes, the British designer who transcribed the punk rock image into the idiom of high fashion....Zandra Rhodes...catapulted 'punk rock' to the fashion world's attention....The style is characterized by cutouts, safety pins and chains...In Miss Rhode's versions, there was not much of the aggressive, sadistic punk rock flavor.
↑ Breward, Christopher (2004). The London Look: Fashion from Street to Catwalk. Yale University Press. p.137.
↑ Blake, Mark (2010). Is This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen. Aurum.
↑ Anne Commire and Deborah Klezmer (2007). Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. Yorkin Publications. p.1588.
↑ Colvin, Clare (8 October 2017). "Opera". Express on Sunday.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
