Mary Quant is one of Britain’s most well-known and influential designers, opening her first fashion boutique Bazaar on the King’s Road in Chelsea, London, in 1955. A second branch of Bazaar opened in 1958 in Knightsbridge, followed by several succesful ventures diversifying the range of Mary Quant products available, including paper patterns and hosiery. After registering the eye-catching Quant daisy logo and trademark in 1966, the company further expanded into cosmetics and homeware, creating one of the first international lifestyle brands.

Mary Quant cosmetic’s proved to be a hugely successful endeavour, enabling even young teenagers to buy a small element of the Mary Quant look and brand appeal with their pocket money. The designer came up with new colour ranges, sold in shiny plastic cases that complemented her clothing designs. The concept was built on a total look, made from interchangeable components that worked together, but also enabled individual permutations, accompanied with appealing comic-strip printed instructions. The brand’s fun and energetic values were embodied by the cosmetic's marketing, clever product names, and approachable young sales assistants in department store beauty halls. A Mary Quant ‘Beauty Bus’ traveled as far as Venezuela, with driver and sales assistants sharing product expertise and new techniques with an eager youth market.

The ‘Overnighter’ cosmetics case, covered with wipe-clean PVC, combines the convenience and no-nonsense approach behind Quant’s cosmetics brand. Mary Quant was closely associated with the popularity of PVC, and used it to update raincoats with zips and bright colours. The concept of the case, containing skincare products and cosmetics for an overnight stay, speak to changing norms of behaviour and the extending of women’s lives beyond the domestic sphere in post-war Britain, with many more travelling for work, relationships and social life. The Quant philosophy promoted healthy skin as well as make-up, reflected by the skin care bottles included in the case: ‘Come Clean’ cleanser, ‘Get Fresh’, a cool oil reducing freshener, ‘Skin Drink’ for under make up moisturizer, and ‘Skin Saver’, a ‘Maxi-moisturiser’.