hardy amies history
TRANSCRIPT
Recognised as one of the most elegant and inspirational designers ofall time, Sir Hardy Amies was born in 1909 in West London, andgrew up to become one of the most important post-war names in
British fashion.
His illustrious list of clientele included not only royalty and the aristocracybut stars of stage & screen too. As well as the Queen, the Astors and
Ronald Reagan, Amies designed for Peter Sellers, Ava Gardner,Ginger Rogers, Albert Finney, Patrick Macnee and David Hockney,
among many others.
More recent wearers of Amies designs include Jake Gyllenhaal,John Hurt, Jeremy Irons, Lord & Lady Freddie Windsor,
HRH the Prince & Princess Michael of Kent, Dermot O’Leary,Rebecca Furguson, Rupert Penry-Jones and Ben Drew.
“A man should look as if he hasbought his clothes with intelligence,
put them on with care, and thenforgotten all about them.”
Sir Edwin ‘Hardy’ Amies
1946
Hardy Amies opens his couture house at No 14 Savile Row.
1947Amies designs appear on the cover of Vogue for the first time.
1961Amies stages the first ever men’s ready-to-wear catwalk shows, at the
Ritz Hotel in London.They were also the first catwalk shows to be accompanied by music.
1955Amies is awarded a Royal Warrant as official dressmaker to
HM Queen Elizabeth II.He would later design for Diana, Princess of Wales.
1961Amies dresses Patrick Macnee for the cult TV show ‘The Avengers’,
as well as Hollywood stars Albert Finney, Tony Randall,Joan Greenwood & Deborah Kerr.
1964Amies publishes his ground breaking book ‘The ABC of Men’s Fashion’
and causes a sensation in the fashion world bydropping the waistband on men’s trousers.
1966Amies dresses the England World Cup team.
1968Amies designs the entire wardrobe for Stanley Kubrik’s masterpiece
‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.
1972Amies designs special clothing for the British Olympic squad,
the Oxford University Boat Club and the London Stock Exchange.
1974Amies is inaugurated into the
International Best Dressed Hall of Fame.
1977Amies creates the gown for Queen Elizabeth’s official Silver Jubilee portrait.
1989Hardy Amies recieves a Knighthood.
2009The Hardy Amies designer archive is opened on Savile Row.
2010The Hardy Amies brand is acquired by Fung Capital.
And so begins one of the most eagerly anticipated re-launches inUK fashion history, under the award winning direction of
chief designer Clair Malcolm.
In the last year aloneHardy Amies has beenprominently featured
in the following publications,and enjoyed considerable exposure
through additional,wide reaching media channels.