Mary Quant and Vidal Sassoon, 1964. © Ronald Dumont Daily Express Hulton Archive Getty Image.
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is set to open a major exhibition on fashion revolutionary Mary Quant this summer. The international touring exhibition from the V&A in London explores the work of the legendary fashion designer who harnessed the youthful spirit of the sixties and embraced new mass production techniques to create a new look for modern women.
‘It is given to a fortunate few to be born at the right time, in the right place, with the right talents. In recent fashion there are three: Chanel, Dior and Mary Quant.’ – Ernestine Carter
Auckland Art Gallery Director Kirsten Lacy is excited to share the fashion revolutionary and youthquake of the 1960s with Kiwis through this chic exhibition that cleverly explores Quant’s transformative effect on the fashion scene of the time. “Mary Quant was all about revolution. She dressed the liberated woman with her fun, youthful and creative designs,” says Kirsten Lacy. “Quant made designer fashion affordable for working women, overturning the dominance of luxury couture from Paris.”
Mary Quant famously popularised super-high hemlines, colourful tights and tailored trousers that challenged conventions and were an influential part of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ scene. Her stylish garments were modelled by Twiggy and Grace Coddington, and personified the energy and fun of sixties London. Quant became a powerful role model for the working woman with her designs encouraging a new age of feminism.
“We’re delighted that the Mary Quant exhibition is opening at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. We hope that it will appeal to everyone, not just fashion fans. The Quant brand is about so much more than clothes, representing humour, self-empowerment, and redefining rules and conventions,” says the V&A’s Jenny Lister and Stephanie Wood, Co-Curators of Mary Quant.
“It is wonderful to celebrate with New Zealanders the trailblazing career of a woman who was, and still remains, the ultimate influencer of her time. With a revolutionary approach to branding and marketing, as the face of her brand, with cohesive packaging and her instantly recognisable daisy logo, Mary Quant completely anticipated the way that we consume fashion today.”
The Mary Quant exhibition will feature over 120 garments as well as accessories, cosmetics, sketches and photographs to tell the story of this fashion revolutionary. The exhibition curators receiving unprecedented access to Dame Mary Quant’s incredible archive, as well as drawing on the V&A’s extensive fashion holdings, which include the largest public collection of Quant garments in the world.
Mary Quant opens on Friday 10th December 2021 and runs to Sunday 13th March 2022 at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.
Note: This story was updated on 12th October to reflect that the opening date has changed from 19th November to 10th December 2021.