Features

• Article

  Introducing Mary Quant

  The most iconic fashion designer of the 1960s, Mary Quant's witty, irreverent clothing was critical to the 'Swinging Sixties' scene
• Article

  Mary Quant: Fashion Revolutionary

  Hear how Quant developed her trailblazing affordable style
• Article

  Six revolutionary designs by Mary Quant

  Where would we be without coloured tights, skinny-rib sweaters and comfy loungewear? We owe them all to Mary Quant
• Article

  The story of Mary Quant make-up

  Find out why Quant's make-up range was as revolutionary as her clothing
• Article

  Sew your own: Mary Quant-style minidress

  Want to make your own 1960s-style minidress inspired by Mary Quant?

Collections

• Collection

  Mary Quant

  Famous for popularising super-high hemlines, self-taught designer Mary Quant (1930 – 2023) launched a 'youth quake' on the British high street, forging a dynamic, new identity for young women with her playful mass-market designs. Inventive, opinionated and commercially minded, she established the first lifestyle brand and became an icon of the swinging sixties scene.
• Collection

  1960s fashion

  Marked by sweeping social change, the 1960s saw the birth of the modern age.…

Objects

What's On

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  Closed Exhibition

  Mary Quant

  "The whole point of fashion is to make fashionable clothes available to everyone." Mary Quant
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  Past Event

  Mary Quant - BSL users only

  Come and discover how Mary Quant launched a fashion revolution on the British high street.
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  Past Event

  Lunchtime Lecture: Mary Quant: Fashion Revolutionary

  Hear from the curators of our Mary Quant exhibition in this free lunchtime lecture
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  Past Event

  Teacher Twilight: Mary Quant

  Learn about the latest exhibitions with our experts. Enjoy a drink with colleagues and pick up free teachers’ resources at one of our special preview events for primary and secondary teachers.
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  Past Event

  Curator Talk: Mary Quant

  Join the exhibition curators for an exclusive Members-only talk on the making of this exhibition

About us and our work

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  Info

  Make & do

  Sew your own Mary Quant-style minidress This easy-to-use, customisable sewing pattern is inspired by…

From the Blog

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  Blog Post

  Fashion highlights at the National Art Library

  Hudson ‘Catwalk Collection’ volumes stand out, showcasing runway collections from major world designers, many…
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  Blog Post

  Pandemic Objects: Clothing Shop

  announcing store opening, designed by Frederick Victor Poole, London, 1909 (E.219-1987) Bazaar: Mary…
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  Blog Post

  The Twelve Days of Christmas at Clothworkers’: Saint Laurent Dress with Gold-Coloured Rings

  Three years earlier Mary Quant had launched her lower-priced diffusion line, Ginger Group.…
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  Blog Post

  Welcome back, we’ve missed you!

  We’re opening with our first major fashion exhibition, Mary Quant.…
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  Blog Post

  Terence Conran – A V&A perspective

  Along with designers such as Mary Quant (for whom he designed the interiors to the second iteration of…