The Mary Quant exhibition bought to life the history of British fashion label, Mary Quant, founded in 1963, after opening her first boutique, Bazaar, in 1955. Quant was known for revolutionising the mini skirt sensation, marrying a classical feminine style with everyday practicality. The exhibition presented the brand from individual collections to magazine coverage and campaigns portraying the inner workings of this quintessential brand, in this perfect Quant wonderland, radiating this transformative period in the industry.
The two Storie exhibition saw a clear divide of exhibition design between both floors, this allowed the various collections and brand stages to be clearly visualised. A minimal colour palette of the classic orange, red hue along with a clean white, opened up the exhibition while also consuming the audience. A busy display of garments to accessories effectively represented the energetic and youthful nature of the designs. The first floor began almost as a maze adorened with the bright red chroma on the walls. Original shoots of the garments complimented original peices all styled on manikins to portray the form of the garments, from the shift dress styles and mini skirt hems. The upstairs area was lit up with cool lighting bouncing of the white gloss walls creating an high light space. This built a clear juxtaposition between both floors visulaing the growth in exposer and success Mary Quant had achieved in 90s fashion culture.
The most effective element of the campaign, which I believe differentiates slightly from typical fashion exhibitions, is the lack of minimalism. Complimenting the buzz of the brands garments and colour palettes to draw the line behind the day to day uniforms Quant took inspiration from. As seen here the classic waterproof jacket in an exaggurated red chroma softened with white stripe detailing along the sleeves, portrays the personality of Mary Quant. A significant and main brand philosophy is 'Fashion for Everyone', Quant bought electric colours and 'the shock of the knee' to the forefront of the fashion scene. Mainting high quality product with qualities of playfulness continued to drive the creativity and innovation behind the brand, a key concept for Dame Mary Quant herself. The brand motto, 'Be Free, Be Yourself', is effectively communicated by the breaching of the eras traditional fashion norms.
Day to day styles were met by the more sophisticated evening looks, still consumed by clashing patterns. The original Mary Quant dolls enforces the fact that this is not just a clothing label, but a fashion empire from cosmetics and beauty to interior design all with the fashion icon, Mary Quant, at the heart. The inclusion of elements such as the dolls and the spread of cosmetics and magazine features, along with campaign posters dressing the exhibition space also allows the audience to become informed more on the brand as a whole, not just the garments. While a minimalistic, nay luxurious dark space gently lit may be ideal for haute couture, this exhibition echoes the lively nature of the collections. Models set in movement also presents the key practically of the brand which attracted a wider audience at the time.
The branding of Mary Quant also kept conisitant through the exhibition from being plastered onto the walls, not only creating a interactive photo space, key for the modern audience, but ensuring to echoe Dame Mary Quant herself. The Black Daisy was a doodle of young Mary Quant in order to allow her ideas to flow. Now a national recognised motif, is was important for the simplistic - modern esc, significant for the brands forward facing collections - yet fun branding to be an important aspect of the exhibition curation.