Fur Coat
Woolen Coat and Hat
1978-79 (designed and made)
1978-79 (designed and made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Jay Musson and Stephen Bennington grew up in Salford and moved to London in the 1960s to study at Central St Martins and the Chelsea School of Art. In the early 1970s they began selling samples of handknit, unisex knitwear to Chelsea boutiques. After working initially under the label 'David and Stephen' they established the company Jay Musson Ltd in the late 1970s. From the early 1980s, Musson and Bennington manufactured their designs using modified industrial knitting machines in a workshop in Brixton.
This coat and scarf have a long wool and lurex pile that is made to imitate the texture of fur. The coat relates to late 1970s and 1980s debate about the use of fur in fashion, and highlights the playful, adventurous nature of 1970s British knitwear design.
This coat and scarf have a long wool and lurex pile that is made to imitate the texture of fur. The coat relates to late 1970s and 1980s debate about the use of fur in fashion, and highlights the playful, adventurous nature of 1970s British knitwear design.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Title | Fur Coat (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Woolen coat and hat, 'Fur Coat', designed by Jay Musson and Stephen Bennington, 1978-79 |
| Physical description | Handmade wool and lurex coat and hat. The coat is knee-length with a low raised collar. The body of the coat is a combination of white and grey wool mixed with gold and silver lurex threads. A border running down its centre, and around the hem and neck, is of black and grey wool mixed with gold and silver lurex threads. The coat body and sleeves are decorated with a scattering of large flowers in pink, red and orange. The hat has a border of black and grey wool and lurex, the body of the hat is white and grey wool and lurex. There is a large pink flower on the crown of the hat. The coat and hat were both made using a technique that imitates the texture of fur. The wool and lurex were hand-knotted, the long loop pile then cut during finishing. |
| Credit line | Donated by Jay Musson and Stephen Bennington |
| Summary | Jay Musson and Stephen Bennington grew up in Salford and moved to London in the 1960s to study at Central St Martins and the Chelsea School of Art. In the early 1970s they began selling samples of handknit, unisex knitwear to Chelsea boutiques. After working initially under the label 'David and Stephen' they established the company Jay Musson Ltd in the late 1970s. From the early 1980s, Musson and Bennington manufactured their designs using modified industrial knitting machines in a workshop in Brixton. This coat and scarf have a long wool and lurex pile that is made to imitate the texture of fur. The coat relates to late 1970s and 1980s debate about the use of fur in fashion, and highlights the playful, adventurous nature of 1970s British knitwear design. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.162-2014 |
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| Record created | November 30, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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