V&A wants your Mary Quant stories ahead of major exhibition

V&A Dundee is looking for fans of Mary Quant’s work to contribute to a major upcoming exhibition on the fashion icon.

Mary Quant was one of the defining fashion figures of the 1960s and an upcoming event will celebrate her work.

Museum bosses are hoping people from Tayside and Fife will share their stories about wearing or making garments by the designer.

Photos from local people might be included in a digital slideshow as part of the exhibition.

The museum curators also want to hear any stories associated with the garments.

While some of Quant’s creations were sold in high-end boutiques, her more affordable Ginger Group line could be found in department stores.

The fashion icon’s dressmaking patterns were sold by Butterick and Courtelle, giving people the chance to create their own piece of designer fashion at home using fabrics and patterns of their own choosing.

Meredith More, V&A Dundee curator, said: “We’d love to find out more about Mary Quant’s impact on those living in Dundee and Tayside and what her products and style meant to people.

“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?

“If you have a story about how Mary Quant has influenced your style, please get in touch and let us know.”

Anyone with a story to share is asked to contact the museum by sending an email to sewquant@ vandadundee.org. People are asked not to post photographs or garments to the museum itself.

The new exhibition opens in Dundee on April 4 next year and will run until September 6.

It is currently on show at the V&A in London.

The show is the first international retrospective on the designer.