Pretty as a picture

Icons of steel

One of the greatest British fashion designers of the twentieth century was a Scot: Jean Muir. In her designs she distilled the essence of modernity and although she did not officially invent the 'little black dress' she took it to a new, universal level. The key to her vision was common sense – but common sense raised to the pitch of genius. Her clothes were effortless, comfortable and, once donned, easily forgotten by the wearer but never the onlooker. Jean Muir died in 1995 but her label outlives her – her style was a mature, sensual elegance that remains timeless. Muir is an inspiration to younger generations. She had no formal training but had a steely addiction to work, a trait she attributed to her Scots provenance. Perfectionism, rigour and a no-nonsense approach to her work were other Scots traits she upheld. She was first and foremost a dressmaker – she never regarded herself as a fashion designer and would have laughed the title 'artist' out of court. Never mind that that's how the world continues to view her!

And then there's Belinda Robertson – the feisty Glasgow fashion designer who has taken cashmere to a heady new plane. With a will of steel and absolute focus she is out to transform cashmere from an exclusive 45 year+ luxury product into every woman's fashion dream come true: clean-lined, colourful, modern, funky and fashion-conscious pieces of clothing that made the wearer feel like a million dollars without costing it. That was 1986. Since when she has stormed the international markets, designing for private labels in the US and Japan; she has opened her own flagship store in London, with showrooms in Edinburgh, Milan and New York and has diversified into menswear, baby clothes and cushion covers. Like Muir before her, she sits on numerous industry boards and has been awarded the OBE for services to the textile industry. And like Muir before her, she's always shown that crucial element of fashion design – steel.

New Scots fashionistas

These days Scots fashion designers are legion and a quick round-up of some of the stars will leave you breathless at the wealth and diversity of talent.

Jane Keith is lecturer in printed textiles at the University of Dundee. She also designs ties. Beautiful silk ties inspired mainly by natural influences, which retail between £50 and £75 and are sported by the likes of TV presenters Jon Snow and David Dimbleby, comedian Lenny Henry and 'Chandler' from Friends.

For head-turning hats, Edinburgh-based Yvette Jelfs creates exquisite, hand-finished couture hats, headpieces (and bags and scarves) that are casual and sexy; Jeanette Sendler, who teaches at Edinburgh College of Art, creates geometric white felt hats that are like 'walking art' and Kathryn Gill makes a range of contemporary tiaras that are feminine and modern and sell well to 20-30 year olds through the Rosie Brown stores in Edinburgh.

Then April Crichton, who studied at Edinburgh College of Art and now lives in Glasgow designs for the classic French label Sonia by Sonia Rykiel. Orcadian fashion lecturer Isobel Mowat, Scottish fashion designer of the year 2002, has launched her own eponymous label aimed at the top end avant-garde designer market. Melrose-based Shirley Pinder has revolutionised scarves transforming them from something practical into something luxurious and aesthetic and her designs are stocked in more than 140 stores worldwide.

And that's just a chip from the tip of the Scottish design iceberg. For other fashion features on this site go to:
www.friendsofscotland.gov.uk/culture/tartan.html
www.friendsofscotland.gov.uk/business/b_cashmere.html

Hot shots

Great clothes make you look good. So, of course, do great photographs. And great photographs of good-looking people in wonderful clothes is an indispensable part of today's fashion world. In this field also Scots have contributed enormously. And one of the world's most famous is a Scot, but hardly known in his own country. Albert Watson is Jack Nicholson, Mick Jagger and Uma Thurman's favourite photographer. He has photographed Kate Moss naked and seen Britney Spears in her pants. He has over 280 Vogue covers to his name and has directed some 500 television commercials. He has been described as 'a camera with a brain' even though he did not formally train as a photographer and is blind in one eye. But even though his talent may not have yet been celebrated in his native Scotland, Watson claims his Scottish schooling was vital: "It was very art-oriented, very interested in creativity, but at the same time instilling discipline." Discipline is central to Watson's approach and he admits to being a workaholic. And hopefully, in the not too distant future, hometown Edinburgh might mount a retrospective exhibition: he was busy making the right kind of connections when over from the States last year to receive an honorary degree from Napier University.

Nick Haddow left Glasgow in 1992 and lived in New York, it's atlantic twin for about five years where he became a photographer's assistant. He now splits his home between New York and the UK but spends most of his time travelling around the world on major fashion assignments from the likes of Marie-Claire, Vogue and Glamour. He's also in hot demand for celebrity portraits, among which his illustrious subjects include Giorgio Armani, Kate Winslet, Gore Vidal, Chrissy Hynde and Belle and Sebastian.

Picking up the thread

There's steel and flair in the Scots nature that are pre-requisites for a career in the fashion world – also a natural propensity to travel the globe. But Scotland also offers first-rate educational opportunities in the fields of fashion design, textiles design, clothing design and manufacture, design through digital media and photography. Edinburgh College of Art is a hot-bed of fashion design and is famous for its dazzling annual fashion shows. The 2004 shows attracted a record 2,400 people and tickets are like gold dust. And the Scottish Borders Campus of Heriot-Watt University, based in Galashiels the heart of Scotland's traditional weaving industry, is recognised as a leading centre in textile design, textiles and clothing technology and fashion.