Mary Quant: Behind the scenes of the V&A Dundee's first major fashion exhibition

Image courtesy of V&A Dundee

When you think of 1960s fashion, we’ll bet you’ll imagine bright colours, oversized collars, and kitsch details that could only come from that era. In other words, you’ll imagine a design by Mary Quant, even if you don’t know it yet. 

The iconic designer and her groundbreaking style are being celebrated this year at the V&A Dundee in Mary Quant, the first major fashion exhibition the museum has hosted. The exhibition was originally slated to be open across the summer of 2020 but, due to COVID restrictions, it was put on hold. Thankfully, the V&A has finally been able to reopen its doors, and the exhibition will now be open to the public in an epic run, ending on 7 January 2021.

The exhibition is the first international retrospective on Mary, a designer who disrupted the fashion establishment, captured the spirit of London in the 1960s, and started a fashion revolution that inspired a whole generation, and continues to inspire our sartorial choices today. She is, after all, the designer who made the miniskirt famous. 

Key pieces in the exhibition include the pioneering ‘Wet Collection’ of PVC rainwear and a jute miniskirt - perfect for the surroundings, we say!

The Dundee exhibition will also feature the stories of the women who made outfits from Quant’s dressmaking patterns, gathered through V&A Dundee’s #SewQuant campaign, as well as an exciting new film looking at contemporary female designers who, like Mary Quant, are forging their way through the fashion industry. 

You can pre-book your tickets at the V&A Dundee website.