I recently read this book ‘Quant by Quant’– The Autobiography of Mary Quant.

I’m Sooooo glad I stumbled across this little paperback….it reeled me into the time of Swinging London, free-spirited fashion & all things Mod.

Quant had no design experience when her store Bazaar on Kings Road opened in 1955. She was only 21 at the time, working as the buyer and not being able to find enough of the type of clothes she wanted to sell – she began making dresses in her tiny bedsit & selling them in the store…running to Harrods each day to buy more fabric to keep up with the diminishing stock. She realised the need to make fashion for the youth that didn’t want to dress like their mothers…clothes that you could run & dance in.

She and her husband Alexander worked in their store ‘Bazaar’ during the day – club-hopped with artists and musicians in the evenings – bringing their friends to the store late at night to drink, try on dresses and play around with the windows famous for their controversial & creative displays.

Quant is most widely known as the ‘Queen of the mini skirt’ – but she is also credited for inventing hot pants, sweater dresses and brightly coloured stockings. It makes me want to follow in Quant’s footsteps and start a revolution.

Any designer or person wanting to start up a business – this book is a must-read for inspiration!