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Fashion Lives - a new exhibition at the British Library 11 November 2005 - 7 February 2006

14 September 2005 :: Posted by Victoria Main

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." Coco Chanel

For the first time at the British Library, Fashion Lives, a new exhibition, has brought together a collection of post-war fashion leaders who have defined their profession and played a unique role in shaping the fashion industry as we know it today. The exhibition, curated by Alistair O'Neill from London College of Fashion (LCF), features exhibition design by St Martin's graduate William Hall. It includes a specially commissioned repeatable design by fashion duo Eley Kishimoto that will form the backdrop to the exhibition and a series of commissioned portraits by the photographer Gareth McConnell.

The exhibition draws on the Oral History of British Fashion collection of oral history interviews from the National Life Story Collection at the British Library's Sound Archive. This new collaborative initiative between the London College of Fashion and the British Library documents fashion and its related industries within living memory. It contains interviews with Percy Savage, the man who was the first 'fashion PR' and was the name behind Christian Dior's Eau Sauvage scent; Lily Silberberg, a former pupil of Barrett Street Needle Trade School and a teacher at London College of Fashion; Leslie Russell the 'Smile' hairdresser who, in the 1960s, cut the hair of Cathy McGowan (of 'Ready Steady Go' fame) and Peter Sellers; Savile Row tailor Angus Cundy of Henry Poole & Co; Marit Allen, former Young Idea at Vogue Fashion Editor from 1963 - 1973 and now an award winning costume designer for films such as Eyes Wide Shut and The Hulk; Tommy Roberts, the owner of the King's Road boutique 'Mr Freedom' in the 1970s and 'two columbia road' today; John Church, of Church's Shoes, Northampton; and Michael Southgate of Adel Rootstein mannequins in London.

The fascinating reflections of each of the contributors highlights the importance of recording the craft skills and business techniques of the ever-changing British fashion industries. The exhibition stresses the continuing importance and relevance of ways of working that have been lost through the process of modernisation, by inviting a number of contemporary practitioners such as bespoke tailor Timothy Everest, womenswear designer Shelley Fox, fashion illustrator and designer Julie Verhoeven, and milliner Dai Rees to talk about the influence and importance of the work of each of the interviewees on their work today.

As well as oral testimonies, the exhibition will include a selection of printed ephemera, personal papers, clothing and textiles, newspapers and magazines, sketches, samplers and tools.

Alistair O'Neill, curator of Fashion Lives said: "This is the first time that the British Library has staged an exhibition about fashion and it confirms how the discipline is now defined not only by the fast pace of change in the industry, but also by the slower rigours of academic enquiry. Fashion is a burgeoning area of research and London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins (both University of the Arts London) have played a central part in shaping it. Fashion Lives demonstrates how these testimonies can be used to enrich our understanding of this unique industry, helping define a trade history that has often been thought unworthy of attention."

For further information and images, contact Victoria Main at the British Library Press Office: +44 (0)20 7412 7112 or Victoria.Main@bl.uk

Notes for Editors

  1. An Oral History of British Fashion - is a unique new collection of in-depth life story interviews at the British Library Sound Archive, initiated jointly in 2003 by the London College of Fashion and the National Life Story Collection. So far fifteen recordings, averaging over ten hours each, have been completed, and funding is now being sought to add further interviews.
  2. National Life Story Collection (NLSC) - was established in 1987 as a charitable trust and limited company within the Oral History Section of the British Library Sound Archive. Its aim is to create life story recordings with a broad spread of people in Britain , particularly those whose lives would not otherwise be recorded. Recently completed archival surveys include the steel industry (with support from British Steel plc), Holocaust survivors, the financial capital of the City of London , and the Post Office. Current projects include the fields of visual art, crafts, architecture, publishing and the food industry. Several books, CDs and educational packs have emerged from the project work and the entire collection is catalogued online at www.cadensa.bl.uk.
  3. The British Library Sound Archive - is one of the largest in the world. It holds over a million discs, 200,000 tapes, and many other sound and video recordings. The collections come from all over the world and cover the entire range of recorded sound from music, drama and literature, to oral history and wildlife sounds. They range from cylinders made in the late 19th century to the latest CD, DVD and minidisc recordings. The archive holds copies of commercial recordings issued in the United Kingdom , together with selected commercial recordings from overseas, radio broadcasts and many privately-made recordings. It also offers public access to a wide range of specialist publications, books, magazines and journals covering every aspect of recorded sound.
  4. London College of Fashion - has an international reputation as a leading provider of fashion education, research and consultancy. The unique portfolio of specialist courses range in level, from Foundation to Postgraduate. The subject range corresponds to the process of the creation, production and promotion of fashion and the management and marketing of those activities. Many of the College's courses are unique to the UK and offer students an experience unmatched by even a handful of specialist colleges worldwide.
  5. Alistair O'Neill - is a Research Fellow at London College of Fashion and he is also the Course Director for the new MA Fashion Curation course. His forthcoming publication Mapping Fashion in London (Reaktion Books, 2006) is an account of the relationship between fashion and London in the twentieth century.
  6. William Hall - is a graduate of Central Saint Martins and established William Hall Design in 2003. His client list includes Calvin Klein, the British Architect John Pawson, Tate Gallery, Henry Moore Institute, Phiadon Press and Fourth Estate Publishing.
  7. Eley Kishimoto - Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto formed Eley Kishimoto in 1992 after graduating from Brighton Polytechnic and Central Saint Martins respectively. As print designers for fashion they have been commissioned by the like of Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan, Yves Saint Laurent and Clements Riberio. In A/W 2001 they showed their first on schedule collection for London Fashion Week of ladies ready to wear. They also produce a ski collection with the sports brand Ellesse and are about to launch their first menswear collection this September.
  8. Gareth McConell - graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1999. This year he was awarded a Recontres d'Arles Discovery Award nomination, had a one-man show 'Night Flowers' at Counter Gallery, London and work included in 'Presence' at Gimpel Fils, London. His publications include 'Wherever You Go' (Lighthouse, 2002) and 'Back2Back' (All Change, 2004) and a Photoworks monograph (co-published with Steidl, 2004).