Mary Quant Labels: History and How to Date Them
Appraise a photo of yours, free.
Mary Quant (1930 to 2023) opened her Bazaar boutique on London's King's Road in 1955 and became the name most linked with the 1960s miniskirt. Her clothes were sold under several lines and through American partners, so the line on the label helps place a piece within the decade.
Company history
The Vintage Fashion Guild (VFG) records that Quant, Alexander Plunket Greene and Archie McNair opened Bazaar on the King's Road in 1955, and Quant began designing and making clothes to stock it. Our 1960s hub notes she was selling her own designs by 1961 (citing Wikipedia), and that historians credit the miniskirt to Quant, André Courrèges and John Bates together. She started the Ginger Group line in 1963, and soon afterwards J.C. Penney launched a line she designed for them. In 1965 she was marketed in the US by Puritan as part of its Youthquake promotion and sold at Puritan's New York boutique, Paraphernalia. She branched into cosmetics in 1966.
Label timeline
| Label or clue | Approximate dates | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Bazaar | From 1955 | Her King's Road boutique |
| Ginger Group | From 1963 | Her lower-priced line |
| J.C. Penney line | Soon after 1963 | American department-store distribution |
| Puritan / Youthquake, Paraphernalia | 1965 | American marketing |
| Cosmetics | From 1966 | Not clothing |
What it helps date
- Short, straight mod shifts are the mid-1960s look described in our hub.
- The mod look was revived in the 1990s and 2000s, so check zippers and labels: date by zippers, date by labels.
Sources
Not sure what you have? Appraise a photo
Free vintage label dating cheat sheet, by email:
Guides that mention Mary Quant
- 1960s Vintage Clothing: How to Date and Value ItDate and value 1960s clothing: early-60s polish to mod and hippie looks, new synthetics, coil zippers, label laws, and 2026 price ranges.
Related
- JCPenney Labels: History and How to Date ThemJ.C. Penney labels for dating clothing: the 1913 company name, Big Mac workwear, a 1960s Mary Quant line, and the Halston III line from 1983, with values.
- How to Date Vintage Clothing by the LabelUse the laws, postcodes, fiber names and country names printed on a garment label to work out the earliest year it could have been made.
- How to Date Vintage Clothing by the ZipperUse zipper type, placement, brand and material to date vintage clothing: metal Talon zippers, side-seam closures, the 1960 nylon coil, and concealed zips.
- ACWA Union Labels: History and How to Date ThemDate men's suits, coats and shirts by the ACWA union label: the first label of 1916, the 1949 design with and without the registered mark, and ACTWU.