|
Workers for Freedom was a British fashion label that was launched in 1985 by Graham Fraser and Richard Nott. The brand was awarded Designer of the Year in 1989 at the British Fashion Awards. The brand look was described by the ''LA Times'' as: "rich-hippie intellectual clothes". ''The Glasgow Herald'', on the other hand, summarised it as: "a stylishness based on subtlety and fine construction which stands remote from fashion's general glitzkrieg and the obstructive shoulder pad". Workers for Freedom's design signatures included flowing shapes and ethnic-inspired details. It was particularly known for appliqué (widely copied on the high street) and intricate tie fastenings on garments such as shirts. Initially, its range was aimed at men but it soon expanded to womenswear. Some of its strongest early sales were with buyers from the United States, Italy and Japan – it had over 30 overseas clients by 1987.〔〔 In the wake of its British Designer of the Year award, ''The Guardian'' noted that the label had: "built a reputation for wearable, beautifully made clothes always incorporating something surprising". ==Establishment of the label== Graham Fraser and Richard Nott founded Workers for Freedom in 1985; the name sounded radical but they said it was chosen because they hoped it would give them the freedom to work for themselves. Describing the inspiration for the name in 1987, Fraser said it was about: "artistic and financial freedom to develop without the restraints imposed by big business".〔 The duo were in their 30s when they established the brand, and with substantial fashion industry experience. Richard Nott had been a fashion lecturer at Kingston Polytechnic, before which he worked for Valentino in Italy. Graham Fraser, meanwhile, had worked for a variety of fashion retailers, including the boutique Feathers, culminating in a merchandising role at Liberty where he was handling a budget of £10m.〔 Both had, at one time, worked with the leading 1970s designer Christopher McDonnell – Fraser was in a business partnership with him at Marrian-McDonnell for a short period while Nott spent a nine-month spell as assistant. Indeed, ''The Times'' fashion editor Prudence Glynn tipped Nott for the top in 1972, describing him as: "an exceptionally promising new design talent" and noting that his graduation show had attracted considerable interest from Marc Bohan at Dior.〔 Fraser and Nott were partners in their private and professional lives; in a feature about successful fashion couples – also featuring the husband and wife behind Clements Ribeiro – ''The Guardian'' said the pair had been a couple for a decade before finally deciding to work together on their own brand. A 1990 profile, by which time Fraser was 41 and Nott 42, gave a bit more detail about their industry experience. Fraser had trained as an accountant and worked at both high-end and mass market retailers – with stints as a buyer for Harrods and Wallis – before joining Liberty. Nott had trained at Kingston Polytechnic before working in Italy and then moving into academia back at Kingston.〔 A loan of £15,000 from a bank had enabled them to set up a small company – initially producing men's shirts and sweaters – before the label expanded into womenswear.〔 They also had a private financial backer and the label was founded with hands-on assistance from ex-Calvin Klein staffer Sarah Mayhew-Coomber and her husband Stephen. The brand's store was at 4/4a Lower John Street, Soho. It comprised just 280sq ft of selling space. Their first catwalk show took place in March 1987.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Workers for Freedom」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|