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Coat

c.1966
Artist/Maker
Alligator Rainwear Limited (made for)
Mary Quant (designer)
Place of origin
England (made)

Mary Quant’s first boutique, Bazaar, opened in London's King's Road in 1955, launching a successful fashion career. Her youthful easy-to-wear clothing became so popular that in 1963, she launched a lower-priced ready-to-wear range called 'Ginger Group'. She also entered into licensing agreements with manufacturers to produce hosiery, underwear, cosmetics and accessories bearing her name. Almost anyone, whatever their income, could spare the money to buy a pair of 'Mary Quant' stockings or a lipstick. This enabled girls who could not otherwise afford her clothing to feel in touch with fashion, and made Mary Quant a household name and a commercial success.

Her contribution to British life was marked by a retrospective exhibition at the London Museum in 1973. The exhibition included many of Quant's most revolutionary garments, some remade as facsimiles if original ones could not be found.

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read Six revolutionary designs by Mary Quant Modern fashion owes a great deal to the trailblazing 1960s designer Mary Quant (1930 – 2023). From skinny-rib sweaters, to coloured tights and 'onesies', here's our round-up of the signature Quant looks which revolutionised the way we dress, proving there was more to Mary than just minisk...

Object details

Categories
#WeWantQuant
Plastic
Womenswear
Object type
Coat
Materials and techniques
PVC
PVC
Brief description
Coat, blue and white PVC, designed by Mary Quant for Alligator, England, c.1966
Physical description
Raincoat, blue PVC with white collar, cuff and pockets. The coat has a zip down the centre front and two silver buttons on each cuff.
Gallery label
(30/03/2020)
[Mary Quant exhibtion, 2019 - panel text]

1965–67
ALLIGATOR RAINWEAR

“Since when did raincoats go wild? Since Mary Quant designed for Alligator.”

Quant’s fascination with shiny, waterproof PVC is realised through her collaboration with Alligator Rainwear. Based in a mill in Stockport, near Manchester, for decades the company has produced traditional weatherproof coats in black, brown and beige to suit the British climate. By signing a licensing deal with Mary Quant, the brand takes on
a new lease of life.

Alligator’s manufacturing expertise resolves the issues associated with her 1963 ‘Wet Collection’, allowing Quant to develop a bright new range of waterproofs in primary colours with capes, zips and contrasting collars and cuffs which combine functionality with striking visual effects. She also pushes Alligator to try innovative synthetic materials like nylon to produce exciting new looks.
(30/02/2020)
[Mary Quant exhibition, 2019]

RAINCOAT WITH CONTRAST COLLAR AND CUFFS
1966
Worn by Beryl Davies

Beryl Davies worked for London listings magazine What’s On in the 1960s. Attending Mary Quant fashion shows, she became a regular customer and bought this raincoat from Bazaar, King’s Road. Beryl appreciated the smaller sizes offered by Mary Quant which fitted her perfectly with no need for adjustments. She recalls, ’Other designers followed with smaller sizes, but I remember Quant as the first’.

PVC
Labelled ‘Alligator by Mary Quant’
Made by Alligator Rainwear Ltd, Stockport
Given by Beryl Davies
V&A: T.95-2018
Credit line
Given by Beryl Davies
Object history
This object was acquired as part of the V&A's #WeWantQuant campaign. This was a public call-out for objects designed by Mary Quant. This was run as part of the preparation for an exhibition on Mary Quant 2019/2020
Summary
Mary Quant’s first boutique, Bazaar, opened in London's King's Road in 1955, launching a successful fashion career. Her youthful easy-to-wear clothing became so popular that in 1963, she launched a lower-priced ready-to-wear range called 'Ginger Group'. She also entered into licensing agreements with manufacturers to produce hosiery, underwear, cosmetics and accessories bearing her name. Almost anyone, whatever their income, could spare the money to buy a pair of 'Mary Quant' stockings or a lipstick. This enabled girls who could not otherwise afford her clothing to feel in touch with fashion, and made Mary Quant a household name and a commercial success.

Her contribution to British life was marked by a retrospective exhibition at the London Museum in 1973. The exhibition included many of Quant's most revolutionary garments, some remade as facsimiles if original ones could not be found.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.95-2018

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Record createdJuly 13, 2018
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1454725/coat-mary-quant/
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