Kiki Byrne
Kiki Byrne | |
---|---|
Born | Olaug Juliane Grinaker 18 April 1937 |
Died | 3 April 2013 | (aged 75)
Education | Harrow College of Art |
Label | Kiki Byrne |
Spouses | Nicky Byrne (div. 1963)Stephen Milne (m. 1971) |
Kiki Byrne (18 April 1937 – 3 April 2013) was a Norwegian-born, London-based fashion designer who is mainly remembered as Mary Quant's rival on the King's Road in the late 1950s and 1960s.[1]
Early life
Born Olaug Juliane Grinaker, but known as Kiki throughout her life, she was the eldest of three sisters growing up on a farm in Norway during the German occupation.[1] In her mid-teens she moved to London, where she studied at Harrow College of Art.[1] After this, she met her first husband Nicky Byrne, who also acted as her business manager.[1] After selling some of her early designs through Mary Quant's boutique Bazaar, Kiki set up her own boutique in Sloane Street, in collaboration with her husband.[1][2][3] Some sources suggest that this boutique was called Glass & Black,[2][3] although extant Kiki Byrne garments are labelled Kiki Byrne.[4]
Fashion
Following its initial success, the Byrnes moved Kiki Byrne to new premises on the King's Road.[1] Byrne and Mary Quant were remembered as the "first people to make clothes for young people".[5] Their designs offered a young alternative to the mature styles then being produced by high fashion designers.[6] Byrne told The Sydney Morning Herald in 1958 that "only Midlands businessmen's wives can afford Michael and Hartnell".[7] Also in 1958, Byrne collaborated with the photographer Tony Armstrong on a ski-wear collection that was featured in Vogue.[1]
Byrne was known for very simple, youthful
Byrne's designs, along with those of
Following the closure of Kiki Byrne in the mid-1960s, when it was bought out by Jaeger, Kiki designed for other labels including Frank Usher.[1]
Costume design
Alongside the fashion work, Byrne had success as a film costume designer. She created the golden bikini worn by Margaret Nolan in the title sequence of the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, which was art-directed by her then-boyfriend, Robert Brownjohn.[1] Other films which she costumed included Fathom, Perfect Friday,[1] and, with Gina Fratini, Stop the World – I Want to Get Off.[10]
Later life
Following the breakdown of her first marriage, Byrne was in a long-term relationship with Brownjohn which ended shortly before his sudden death in 1970.[1] In 1971, she married the journalist Stephen Milne.[1]
Byrne died on 3 April 2013. She was survived by her second husband and two daughters.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Obituary: Kiki Byrne: Fashion designer whose Kings Road boutique was a magnet for trendy young women in the Sixties". The Times. 4 May 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ ISBN 9780711228955.
- ^ ISBN 9781851774845.
- ^ "Lace dress by Kiki Byrne". V&A Search the Collections. V&A. May 1963. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ Denza, Vanessa. "Interview with Vanessa Denza MBE". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ISBN 9781118814994.
- ^ a b c d "Success Story For 21-year-old Designer". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 December 1958. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ISBN 009152430X.
- ISBN 9780300087383.
- ISBN 9780520209701.