LEVEL 3, CONCOURSE
ENGLAND, BORN 1990
LIVES AND WORKS IN LONDON
PROJECT
Look 2, Ensemble is from Richard Quinn’s 2020 autumn-winter collection. Embellished overall with diamantes, buttons, bugle beads and faux pearls, the outfit references the dress codes of English Pearly Kings and Queens. Adapted from the decorative button trims favoured by London costermongers (street traders) in the late 19th century and used by pearly societies to draw attention to their charitable fundraising, pearly costumes were densely embroidered with patterns, symbols and slogans, such as the heart of charity. In this work, Quinn riffs on a specifically British working-class tradition through the lens of couture craftsmanship. Featuring a punk-inspired quip, ‘GOD SAVE THE QUINN’, embroidered around the hemline, the work references English Royalty, the hereditary nature of Pearly King and Queen titles and the lineage of Quinn’s own fashion house.
ABOUT
Richard Quinn received a Master of Arts (Fashion) from Central Saint Martins and established his namesake label in 2016. Known for his vivid floral textiles, his designs typically combine overblown volume, subversive head-to-toe print, latex and face masks. In 2018, Quinn received the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. The award was presented by Her Majesty the Queen at the conclusion of Quinn’s 2018 autumn-winter collection and acknowledged his commitment to sustainable and collaborative design practices – particularly his establishment of an open-access print studio in South London as an affordable resource for fellow designers and students. In 2018 Quinn also dressed VIP guest Amal Clooney for the Met Gala.