CR Muse: Mary Quant, Fashion Revolutionary of the Swinging Sixties

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This is CR Muse, a series dedicated to the remembrance of important artists and idea-makers from our past who have shaped culture as we know it today. From traditional creators to those of conceptual thought, we celebrate these women known not only for their work but their confident, eccentric style as well.

Mary Quant may not have created the youth-driven revolution in 1960s London, but she did outfit it. As cultural focus shifted to the hedonism of a younger generation, Quant was changing the trajectory of fashion. And she did it all without any education in the industry.

Quant’s aesthetic took the space-age modernity of Courrèges and gave it a pop twist—think bright colors, jersey fabrics, and design details like Peter Pan collars. Her more casual, lighthearted approach to fashion was appealing to young women who wanted to run, move, and dance with ease. The accessibility of her clothing is what made Quant so revolutionary. “The whole point of fashion is to make fashionable clothes available to everyone,” she once said. Unlike couture, young women could easily afford it. Also, unlike couture, her dresses were easy to toss on and go. They didn’t require fussy undergarments.

Nevertheless, undergarments—specifically hose—were still very much necessary. Though the world was moving in a more liberal direction, bare legs were still deemed inappropriate. Naturally, this was at odds one of Quant’s design hallmarks: the miniskirt. (Though she didn’t invent them, she certainly popularized the shorter hemlines.) What she did invent, however, were tights in colors that matched her dresses—and in prices that were far more affordable than what was on the market at the time. But Quant’s tights weren’t just about modesty, they were yet another avenue for her perspective on fashion.

The heart of Quant’s business was her boutique, Bazaar. With her business partners Archie McNair and Alexander Plunket Greene (who would later become her husband), she opened her shop in 1955 in London’s Chelsea neighborhood. At first, Quant sold wholesale wears, but after becoming frustrated with what was available, she began designing for herself. She took sewing classes to improve her craft, and would spend her nights creating clothes to be sold the next day. Bazaar became so popular that the trio opened a second location just two years later.

It is important to note that Quant didn’t just invent her aesthetic, she lived it. Her chief way of promoting her garments was by wearing them herself. She completed her look with the hairstyle du moment, a precise Vidal Sassoon bob. She became emblematic not only of her brand, but of an entire generation’s stylistic ideal. She was vibrant, mod, and fashion-forward.

The year 1966 was monumental for Quant. Not only did she receive an Order of the British Empire, she also penned her autobiography, invented hotpants, and kicked off her footwear and cosmetics collections—the latter of which was incredibly successful.

For all of Quant’s innovation, her lasting impression on fashion was, arguably, the idea that young people could have a style all their own. Without Quant, one has to wonder if British youth culture—and in particular, the Swinging Sixties—would have been so impactful.

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