Alfred Radley
Encyclopedia
Alfred Radley was a British
clothing manufacturer best known for his association with the Quorum Boutique and fashion designer, Ossie Clark
.
, the youngest of seven children. His father died when he was eighteen months old, and he was brought up partly at the Norwood
orphanage.
During the Second World War
he volunteered for the Navy
and served in all theatres of war from the Atlantic Convoys to the Pacific. Towards the end of the war he served on ships taking returning Russian prisoners to Odessa and bringing back Jewish survivors from the death camps to Marseille. He also was on one to the first ships to enter Japan following the dropping of the atom bombs when he visited Hiroshima
.
After the war he started his own company selling dresses and by the early 1960s was part of the Swinging London
movement, specialising in party dresses. By 1965 Radley was one of the most important fashion houses in London, with its own fabric mills as well as factories producing gloves and handbags for many high street stores including Marks & Spencer
.
In 1968 Radley acquired Quorum with its famous designers Ossie Clark
, Alice Pollock and Celia Birtwell
. Whilst Ossie Clark flourished under the Quorum label, Radley promoted the careers of many designers including: Betty Jackson
, Shelagh Brown, Sheridan Barnett, Wendy Dagworthy, Rosemary Bradford and Terence Nolder (who in 1980 won the British Eveningwear Designer Award and The British Designer of the Year Award in 1981)
For this, he has been given the epithet "the patron saint of British Fashion" Sir Philip Green
.
Radley remained in contact with Ossie Clark throughout the rest of his life. Although Radley retired in the late 1980s, he has retained a passionate interest in fashion and in particular Ossie Clark and has worked tirelessly to keep his work and memory alive. In 2002, he convinced the Victoria & Albert Museum to stage a major exhibition in celebration of Ossie Clark's work which was mounted in July 2003 for ten months. Radley provided many of the garments that were on display from his personal collection and the centrepiece was his daughter Diane's wedding dress.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
clothing manufacturer best known for his association with the Quorum Boutique and fashion designer, Ossie Clark
Ossie Clark
Raymond "Ossie" Clark was an English fashion designer who was a major figure in the Swinging Sixties scene in London and the fashion industry in that era...
.
Biography
Alfred Radley was born in 1924 in the East End of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the youngest of seven children. His father died when he was eighteen months old, and he was brought up partly at the Norwood
Norwood (charity)
Norwood is a UK charity established in 1785 in the East End of London.In 1996, it merged with Ravenswood, a Berkshire-based charity for people with learning disabilities, to create one of the largest welfare organisations within the Jewish community....
orphanage.
During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he volunteered for the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
and served in all theatres of war from the Atlantic Convoys to the Pacific. Towards the end of the war he served on ships taking returning Russian prisoners to Odessa and bringing back Jewish survivors from the death camps to Marseille. He also was on one to the first ships to enter Japan following the dropping of the atom bombs when he visited Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
.
After the war he started his own company selling dresses and by the early 1960s was part of the Swinging London
Swinging London
Swinging London is a catch-all term applied to the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in London, in the 1960s.It was a youth-oriented phenomenon that emphasised the new and modern. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution. One catalyst was the recovery of the...
movement, specialising in party dresses. By 1965 Radley was one of the most important fashion houses in London, with its own fabric mills as well as factories producing gloves and handbags for many high street stores including Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
.
In 1968 Radley acquired Quorum with its famous designers Ossie Clark
Ossie Clark
Raymond "Ossie" Clark was an English fashion designer who was a major figure in the Swinging Sixties scene in London and the fashion industry in that era...
, Alice Pollock and Celia Birtwell
Celia Birtwell
Celia Birtwell, CBE is a textile designer known for her distinctive bold, romantic and feminine designs, which draw influences from Picasso, Matisse and from the classical world. She was particularly famous in the 1960s and 1970s for prints which epitomised the glamour of the hippie era...
. Whilst Ossie Clark flourished under the Quorum label, Radley promoted the careers of many designers including: Betty Jackson
Betty Jackson
Betty Jackson is a British fashion designer based in London, England. She was born a Lancashire. In 2007, her achievement within British fashion was honoured with a CBE...
, Shelagh Brown, Sheridan Barnett, Wendy Dagworthy, Rosemary Bradford and Terence Nolder (who in 1980 won the British Eveningwear Designer Award and The British Designer of the Year Award in 1981)
For this, he has been given the epithet "the patron saint of British Fashion" Sir Philip Green
Philip Green
Sir Philip Green is a British businessman. Green was born into a Jewish family in 1952, beginning as a businessman at the age of 15. The first and last quoted company Green took lead of was "Amber Day", from which he stepped down as CEO and Chairman in 1992...
.
Radley remained in contact with Ossie Clark throughout the rest of his life. Although Radley retired in the late 1980s, he has retained a passionate interest in fashion and in particular Ossie Clark and has worked tirelessly to keep his work and memory alive. In 2002, he convinced the Victoria & Albert Museum to stage a major exhibition in celebration of Ossie Clark's work which was mounted in July 2003 for ten months. Radley provided many of the garments that were on display from his personal collection and the centrepiece was his daughter Diane's wedding dress.
External links
- http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/radley/ Radley at the Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource.
- http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaticPageDisplay?storeId=12556&catalogId=19551&identifier=ts1%20archive%20designers%20radley Topshop Archives
- http://edward.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1250_ossieclark/designs/forradley/ Victoria & Albert Museum
- Victoria and Albert Museum