California Apparel News

The British-born designer raised funds and awareness from her San Diego studio

The address is 83 Bermondsey St. on London’s South Bank—just a stone’s throw away from London Bridge. In this industrial area known as Southwark, tattered brick buildings are the last remnants of the working-class that inhabited the district for much of the 19th century.

At the dawn of the 21st century, Southwark is being revitalized. The old buildings are giving way to newer, more fashionable facades. The centerpiece of this revitalization is the Fashion and Textiles Museum, the brainchild of British designer Zandra Rhodes, whose career has undergone a revival of its own.

The new museum, set to open May 8, is dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the distinguished works of celebrated fashion and textile designers, with an emphasis on British design from the 1950s to the current day. Rhodes said she would like to see the museum become one of the fashion industry’s most visible advocates, but it may be difficult to command attention in a town that already boasts Fleet Street, London’s fashion center. Some of London’s most prestigious museums, including the Victoria & Albert, also house permanent fashion collections.

But Rhodes’ experience and creative spirit makes her an ideal person to head a fashion museum, according to Jane Keltner, associate fashion news editor for Elle.

“I think it’s great that the Fashion and Textiles Museum in London is being curated by a fashion designer who’s been in the industry for a number of decades and has a grasp on the recent history of fashion,” she said.

It has been a lifelong dream for Rhodes, who raised the money for museum construction and supervised the renovation project from her office in San Diego, Calif.

“I wanted to create a museum that would be original in its own right and could offer an exciting, unique experience with every new exhibition,” said Rhodes.

To make it happen, Rhodes sold her home in London’s exclusive Notting Hill neighborhood and purchased an old warehouse in South London. About four years ago, she started the American Friends of the Fashion and Textiles Museum Foundation, which held several fund-raisers, mostly in Southern California. The group has raised $4 million toward the project.

For the structure’s design, Rhodes called on award-winning Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta (who designed San Francisco’s Mexican Museum) to transform the 7,000-square-foot warehouse facility into a contemporary landmark.

The museum’s lower level will showcase revolving exhibitions, featuring one-of-a-kind fashions by well-known designers such as Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Paul Smith, Jean Muir and Mary Quant. Antique mannequins, designed by Adel Roostein, will display the outfits. Textile designers (who are seldom credited for their work, said Rhodes) will also be represented, as well as fashion photographers.

Rhodes—the museum’s in-house celebrity—will have her own collection of about 3,000 original designs featured permanently on the second floor.

For now, Rhodes has entrusted the museum’s developments to loyal staff members. Among them is Gity Monsef, who worked as an apprentice for Rhodes several years ago and now serves as the museum’s creative director.

“I share Zandra’s vision, which is to present new ways of looking at fashion,” said Monsef.

Monsef said the museum will offer fashion education programs for students of all ages. She is working with Rhodes to create schedules for workshops, film screenings and lectures.

The museum’s educational center will include a library and textile archives with a computerized database and abundance of resource information, said Monsef. Already, there are about 14 interns who study there, she added.

Even though the museum is not officially open to the public yet, Rhodes hosted her first event last November, called “Children’s Magic Mural,” which donated proceeds to the Southwark Council and Help a London Child Foundation.

Rhodes said the museum’s philosophy is: “My community, my museum.”

Choosing favorites

The Fashion and Textiles Museum’s grand opening this spring will feature an exhibit called “My Favorite Dress,” in which famous designer dresses will be suspended from the museum’s 60-foot ceiling. Designers John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, Alexander McQueen, Oscar de la Renta, Donatella Versace and Donna Karan are all very eager to participate, said Rhodes.

For the exhibit, Donna Karan has donated a black devore dress made from hand-burnt patina velvet on sheer silk.

“It’s always difficult to explain where lies the division between fashion and art,” said Karan. “Our business often dictates that a designer struggles between creativity and commerciality. An evening dress is the exception. By definition, it is the ultimate single expression—created for a special purpose, a magical moment or entrance. For that reason, my handmade devore dress, introduced for Fall 1996, is my favorite design.”

From fashion rags to eclectic mods

Rhodes was once considered a permanent fixture in London’s fashion scene. In the 1960s, she studied textile design at London’s Royal College of Art during the city’s mod era and created her own signature look: rainbow-colored, hand-painted silk with beads and embroidery. British apparel makers considered Rhodes’ early textile designs too outrageous, so she established her own retail outlet on West London’s fashionable Fullham Road.

For a time, cultural icons such as Liza Minelli, Diana Ross and Bianca Jagger wore her dresses. Even dignitaries Princess Margaret and Jackie Onassis sported her designs.

During the 1980s, she added her own spin to the British punk era by designing mesh and silk dresses embellished with jeweled safety pins. Some say her designs paved the way for 1980s trendsetters such as Madonna and Cyndi Lauper.

However, economic hardship—the recession in the late 1980s—forced her to reduce her staff and close her Bond Street shop. However, she continued her work in her factory located in West London. A few years later, she moved to Del Mar, Calif., where she continues to produce two in-house designer collections each year.

The next generation

Even though Rhodes’ fame has quieted in Britain, her designs have undergone a revival in the United States. A new generation has shown interest in her fashions, including Kelly Osbourne of “The Osbournes,” who wore a Rhodes design to the 2002 Emmy Awards.

“Many people still believe in my fashion,” Rhodes said. “I believe that fashion makes one’s life more livable and life more fantastic.”

Her clothing is sold at select major department stores, such as Neiman Marcus, as well as designer vintage boutiques such as Decades on Melrose in Los Angeles, Lily et Cie in Beverly Hills, Calif., Paperbag Princess in West Hollywood, Calif., and Resurrection Vintage Clothing in New York. Her hand-painted dresses can fetch anywhere from $695 to $1,295.

“We know Zandra Rhodes is experiencing a moment again because her dresses are all over the great thrift stores in New York and Los Angeles,” said Elle’s Keltner. “You can also see her influence in other designers’ patterns and styles—from Prada’s lipstick prints and Versace’s safety-pin dress to the brightly colored prints used in Alexander Mc- Queen’s most recent collections.”

Many designers in today’s fashion scene continue to find inspiration in Rhodes’ design philosophy. Heatherette designer Richie Rich said he uses Rhodes-like deconstructed looks in his collections.

“Zandra is a pioneer of eclectic fashion—she is always willing to take it to the next step,” said Rich. “Her rebellious sense of fashion set the tone for what young designers are doing now.”