#SewQuant

Our upcoming Mary Quant exhibition, currently on show at V&A South Kensington, is the first international retrospective on the iconic fashion designer Mary Quant. She started a fashion revolution that a whole generation wanted to take part in, and with that in mind, we're curious about your memories of Quant. We're particularly interested in her dressmaking patterns and her impact in Scotland. Can you help?

While some of Quant’s creations were sold in high-end boutiques, her more affordable Ginger Group line could be found in department stores, and all across the country people saved up to buy her tights, make-up and daisy dolls. Mary Quant was one of the first to make high quality designer fashion more widely accessible.

Her dressmaking patterns sold by Butterick and Courtelle took this to a whole new level, empowering people to create their own piece of designer fashion using fabrics in colours and patterns of their own choice.

Once quite commonplace, sewing or knitting clothes from a pattern is an impressive skill, and one which is in decline despite its recent resurgence. With so much fashion waste in the world, wouldn’t it be great if more of us were able to make our own clothes?

We’re interested to know if you (or someone close to you) ever made clothes from Quant dressmaking patterns? We want to hear your stories and see any photographs you might have of the patterns themselves, the clothes made from them and people wearing them.

Perhaps you used the Butterick 5476 pattern to make your very own Mary Quant Misses’ jacket?

Maybe your Mum was a Quant fan and enjoyed knitting her Courtelle patterns?

Or maybe you found a sewing pattern in a charity shop and have made your own unique piece recently?

We’d also like to know more about Quant’s impact in Scotland and what her products and style meant to people.

Where did you shop for Quant products? What did you buy and how much did it cost? What did it mean to you?

Share your story and photos with us on Twitter and Instagram using #SewQuant, or comment on our #SewQuant posts on Facebook. You can also email us using sewquant@vandadundee.org.

Though we can't collect or display your physical objects, there is a chance that we might include your photos and stories as part of a digital slide show in the exhibition.