Honours List

The 70′s gave birth to a style that has endured more than 3 decades and introduced 2 new generations to its clothing, music and attitude.

Punk was not just a whimsical stab at fashion creation; it was a revolution and encapsulated a complete era lifestyle, the music, the clothing, dance, language.

And it brought together one of the most consistently influential groups of individuals, in the right place at the right time.

Names we are all too familiar with like Vivienne Westwood, Malcolm Mclaren, Richard Branson, Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten, the names behind the pistols. It was Richard Branson who signed the Pistols to a recording contract with the newly founded Virgin Record label and their first album Anarchy in The UK was a huge hit. This culmination of different talents gave birth to styles still embracing our senses.

Each individual went solo to become household names in their own right.

From record stores to airways and railways, the Virgin name has been branded all over the world. Richard Branson has become the inspiration for generations. He left school at the age of fifteen suffering from dyslexia. Gifted with a highly creative imagination his weaknesses never deterred his resolve as he went from strength outright. Richard Branson was born on July 18, 1950. His entrepreneurial ways began early when he was publishing a student magazine at just 16 years. Branson did not go on to graduate school but in 1970 the now famous Virgin brand had its beginnings in the form of a discount records mail order venture that he and his friend Nik Powell worked on.

Soon after opening a record store on Oxford Street, London, Branson began a recording label in 1972, Virgin Records. This was to be the first major success for the British entrepreneur as he started the label with a hit record. The instrumental artist Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” released in 1973 was a cash cow for Branson’s Virgin Records and it stayed in the UK music charts for 247 weeks. The record label went on to sign top music artists like “Genesis”, “The Pistols”, “The Rolling Stones” and “Simple Minds”.

In the mid 1970s as a young man not yet thirty, Malcolm McLaren owned and operated a London shop simply called “Sex” and dreamed of fame and fortune. He met a half formed group of teenage rock star hopefuls and fed them happy half truths about the great bands he had led to stardom. With his help in finding corner stone members John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) and Sid Vicious those boys became the English punk rock legends “The Pistols”. The group met its ends less then four years later and McLaren walked away with a little bit of personal fame, but with most of his big dreams unfulfilled. Using his status as a legend maker McLaren would later manage such 80s punk influenced pop successes as Adam Ant, “Bow Wow Wow”, and Boy George, and even release albums of music under his own name.

Vivienne Westwood accepted a DBE in the 2006 New Year’s Honours List “for services to fashion”, She has won the award for British Designer of the Year three times. In December 2003, she and the Wedgwood pottery company launched a series of tea sets featuring her designs, testimony to her versatility and maturity and the respect she has garnered, a far cry from Punk. Endurance in such a volatile industry for a prolonged time is a hallmark by any measure.

Together they forged a new creative direction for music, clothing and attitude, without a single academic qualification to share this is testimony to “born to succeed or fail”.

Meanwhile Vivienne Westwood carved out her own place in fashion history with her Pirates Collection and Buffalo Girl style.

Vivienne Isabel Swire was born in Glossopdale, Derbyshire, on 8 April 1941. Her mother had been a weaver in the local cotton mills and her father came from a family of shoemakers. Her parents ran a sub post office in Tintwistle before moving to north-west London in the 1950′s.

In 1965 she met Malcolm McLaren together they went on to become one of the most creative partnerships in history and as they say the rest is history.

In all design disciplines there have been few that are true leaders; worth names are, Frank Lloyd Wright, the father of modern architecture applied his genius to The Falling Water House, perfect in proportion and modern in any era. And yet it was built more than 70 years ago. His work in the late 18^th century paved the way to The Art Deco style, which began to take shape around 1920. He was decades ahead of his time, it’s well documented. And, an engineer driven by steam and steel, Isambard Brunell the greatest structural engineer in living memory. The Clifton suspension Bridge is testimony of his ability to create a structure that performed a vital function poetically. Not even the Golden Gate and Sydney Harbour hold a candle to it, especially in the wind.

Their symbols live on in architectural structures, silk ties, bridges, business ventures, music and cufflinks, clothing and jewellery, all, instantly recognizably punk.

Big name department stores seem to be attracting an increasing number of notable fashion designers as both sides of the fashion coin see the mutual benefits of this friendship. The stores on the high street benefit from innovative new looks and the designers see the advantages of the huge audience and clientele of the high street. John Rocha who made a name for himself with the Chinatown label in Dublin in the 1980s is a perfect example of this symbiotic relationship.

Born in 1953 in Hong Kong of Chinese and Portuguese descent, John Rocha graduated from the Croydon School of Art in London then quickly moved to Dublin, Ireland where he started his career with the Chinatown label. The use of Irish linen during his studies inspired his move to the country which he still calls home. Since the very start of his career, John has endeavoured to develop and refine his own distinctive style born during his first years in Ireland and is still heavily inspired by fabric, silhouette and technique.

John launched 5 distinct ranges for British department store Debenhams under the name Rocha.JohnRocha in Autumn-Winter 2000 including menswear, womenswear, childrenswear, accessories and homes and living. His unique combination of Chinese and Celtic design as his main influences can be clearly seen throughout his collections and have been described as plain, simple and fluid but at the same time funky and wearable.

In addition to designing for Debenhams, John has designed specifically for celebrity clients such as Angelica Huston, Marianne Faithful and pop star Ronan Keating.

He has extended his design outside of clothing into interiors and home accessories. In 1997 the John Rocha at Waterford Crystal collection was successfully launched and in May 1999, the Morrison Hotel in Dublin was John’s first interior design project and is now one of Europe’s most popular hotels. Successes of projects outside the realm of fashion have lead John to also begin a jewellery line for women.

John has been twice awarded the prestigious British Designer of the Year title in 1994 and in 2002. He has also received the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in The Queen’s New Years Honours list.

After his publication, John Rocha, Texture, Form, Purity, Detail, an illustrated study of John’s design philosophy and influences, it is clear that there is no route of design that will be left unopened by this designer. His creations appeal to the masses as well as the elite and he has an eye for both while retaining his own creative look and being able to explore all the while. A designer to watch for in the future as well as learning from his past designs, it is lucky for us that we can continue to watch his growth through his easily accessible lines at Debenhams.

Another Christmas comes and goes, all the painful preparations gone in a flurry of excitement. And next year much the same again. The good news it gets easier more enjoyable and more economical, but only if you take advantage of the convenient services on offer online. No longer is it perceived a dumping ground (bargain Basement) for overstocked and end of season fashion accessories, or counterfeits. There are dedicated commercially minded independents featuring some top brad names like Vivienne Westwood and Timothy Everest of Savile Row and more.

For small independent onliners like us, it’s time to reflect. What sold well and what did not. What are our customers demanding?

Well, the big surprise was and still is Victoria Richards, a fashion designer best known for her handmade silk neckties, often worn by Channel 4 Anchor Man Jon Snow. She struck the right combination of colour, pattern and most importantly texture, giving depth and added interest. And in spite of her little known brand, outsold most styles, the most popular being the “Devon Bar” a combination of broad slightly irregular horizontal lines in varying shades of blues. They’re slightly reminiscent of the original school ties, Remember. Here is an anecdote to prompt your memory. In 1880, the rowing club at Oxford University’s Exeter College, invented the first school ties. After an emotional win over their rivals, they celebrated by removing their ribbon hat bands from their boater hats and tying them, four-in-hand around their necks. When they ordered a set of ties, with the colours from their hatbands, they had accidentally created the modern school tie. Schools, clubs, and athletic ties appeared in abundance. Some schools had different ties for various grades, levels of achievement, and for graduates.

Then came Vivienne Westwood and her 2008 cufflink collection. Westwood lovers were willing to pre order knowing their arrival would not be until February 2008. There is value in the product and the name here. And she remains true to good form and function in all her good work.

Here is a very brief look into her past. Vivienne Isabel Swire was born in Glossopdale, Derbyshire, on 8 April 1941. Her mother had been a weaver in the local cotton mills and her father came from a family of shoemakers. Her parents ran a sub post office in Tintwistle before moving to north-west London in the 1950′s.

In 1965 she met Malcolm McLaren together they went on to become one of the most creative partnerships in history and as they say the rest is history.

Vivienne Westwood accepted a DBE in the 2006 New Year’s Honours List “for services to fashion”, She has won the award for British Designer of the Year three times. In December 2003, she and the Wedgwood pottery company launched a series of tea sets featuring her designs, testimony to her versatility and maturity and the respect she has garnered, a far cry from Punk. Endurance in such a volatile industry for a prolonged time is a hallmark by any measure.

London Badge and Button cufflinks were another big surprise. Based in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter, The London Badge & Button Company has over 30 years experience in the design and development of fine cufflinks, buttons and men’s accessories and are the manufacturers behind many of the UK’s leading stores and fashion house collections.

Louisa Taylor and Pei-Nap Mok is the award winning design team behind the current LBB London cufflink collection. As a team they have given life to a new breed of cufflinks

Traditionally recognised for its strong & distinctive enamel and silver cufflinks, LBB’s current collection has expanded to use silver & unusual materials for both its classic & contemporary cufflinks with matching accessories.

Ian Flaherty’s handmade Swarovski Crystal cufflinks have always been a good steady seller, his out of ordinary designs blended with classic styling deliver in accordance with demand. His Cube Multi has been a best seller for two years in a row.

All available online for your pleasure and convenience.