Mary Quant retrospective celebrates the life of a fashion revolutionary

Garments, designs and photographs will offer an insight into life of one of fashion's pivotal figures

Pioneering fashion designer Mary Quant will soon be honoured in a retrospective at the V&A in London.

Visitors will take a tour through the life of Ms Quant between 1955 and 1975, the period in which she wrangled fashion from the tired traditions of a gloomy post-war London and propelled it into the free-spirited future.

A selection of Ms Quant’s most exceptional garments and accessories will be on show alongside never before seen sketches and photographs that offer insight into the working life of a young, revolutionary fashion designer.

In assembling the exhibition, the curators were given unprecedented access to Ms Quant’s personal archive as well as having the V&A’s collection to draw from, but they were not quite satisfied.

They figured there must also be rare and otherwise forgotten garments hidden in wardrobes across the country, so they launched #WeWantQuant, a public call-out that led to a deluge of unique items being lent for show.

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Ms Quant, now 89, is pleased with the public’s generosity and said it is “a huge honour” to be recognised in this way.

The exhibition Mary Quant will run from 6 April to 16 February.