Mark Powell (clothing designer)
Encyclopedia
Mark Anthony Richard Powell (born London November 11 1960) is a British fashion designer whose emphasis on bespoke tailoring has gained a celebrity clientele with custom from actors George Clooney
, Daniel Radcliffe
and Martin Freeman
, rock stars and style icons Bryan Ferry
, Mick Jagger
and Paul Weller
and supermodel Naomi Campbell
.
Powell's dandyism, keen sense of fashion history and mix of references from the Edwardian era to the present day has been recognised as contributing to the rescuscitation of "great British bespoke ".
Powell - who has produced collections for Marks & Spencer
and collaborated with fashion brands Mulberry
, PPQ and Michiko Koshino
- is associated with London's Soho
area, having operated from the locale for more than 25 years; his latest venture is the shop Mark Powell Bespoke in Marshall Street, London, W1 .
in the late 1970s and developed an interest in made-to-measure when commissioning garments from the Robot outlet in Floral Street, Covent Garden
.
In 1984 Powell opened his first shop, Powell & Co, in Soho's Archer Street, stocking suits and menswear in the style of the sharp East End characters of his childhood . This was the first manifestation of what was later to become known as "gangster chic"; among Powell's clients were the incarcerated Krays.
By the early 90s, when he was operating from a top-floor studio in D'Arblay Street Powell had a customer base including Jagger, Ferry, Vic Reeves
, who sported Powell's neo-Edwardian suits for his TV appearances, and George Michael
, who wore a Mark Powell suit for his performance at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
.
Powell's suits have been worn by Mel B of The Spice Girls, for the group's meeting with Prince Charles in 1997 , Naomi Campbell, notably for her court appearances, and Keira Knightley
.
In 2000 Powell was installed at a studio in Brewer Street
where visitors for fittings included the DJ/actor Goldie
, the Earl Of Stockton Daniel MacMillan
and singer-songwriter Kevin Rowland
, who commissioned Powell outfits for the 2003 live reunion of his group Dexys Midnight Runners
.
In this period - when his work was noted for its "attention to detail" - Powell also created collections for Marks & Spencer's Autograph range and his clothing has featured in such films as Absolute Beginners
, Shopping and Gangster No. 1
.
A three-piece Powell suit is part of the Victoria & Albert Museum's permanent collection and was featured in the museum's 1997 Cutting Edge exhibition.
Powell also contributed garments to the British Fashion Council's 21st Century Dandy exhibition of 2003 and appeared in the accompanying book .
Powell's work was also covered in Eric Musgrave's book about tailoring, Sharp Suits .
http://www.markpowellbespoke.co.uk/flash/index.htm
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
, Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor who rose to prominence playing the titular character in the Harry Potter film series....
and Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman
Martin John C. Freeman is an English actor. He is known for his roles as John in Love Actually, Tim Canterbury in the BBC's Golden Globe-winning comedy The Office, Arthur Dent in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dr. John Watson in Sherlock and Mr. Madden...
, rock stars and style icons Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
, Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
and Paul Weller
Paul Weller
Paul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
and supermodel Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
.
Powell's dandyism, keen sense of fashion history and mix of references from the Edwardian era to the present day has been recognised as contributing to the rescuscitation of "great British bespoke ".
Powell - who has produced collections for 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...
and collaborated with fashion brands Mulberry
Mulberry
Morus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae. The 10–16 species of deciduous trees it contains are commonly known as Mulberries....
, PPQ and Michiko Koshino
Michiko Koshino
, born in 1942, is a fashion designer. She has high-end stores in Japan and London.Koshino was the designer for the final runway show of Stardoll's Elite, Kahlen's Next Top Model....
- is associated with London's Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
area, having operated from the locale for more than 25 years; his latest venture is the shop Mark Powell Bespoke in Marshall Street, London, W1 .
Career
Powell started his fashion career at King's Road retro boutique RobotRobot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
in the late 1970s and developed an interest in made-to-measure when commissioning garments from the Robot outlet in Floral Street, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
.
In 1984 Powell opened his first shop, Powell & Co, in Soho's Archer Street, stocking suits and menswear in the style of the sharp East End characters of his childhood . This was the first manifestation of what was later to become known as "gangster chic"; among Powell's clients were the incarcerated Krays.
By the early 90s, when he was operating from a top-floor studio in D'Arblay Street Powell had a customer base including Jagger, Ferry, Vic Reeves
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
, who sported Powell's neo-Edwardian suits for his TV appearances, and George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
, who wore a Mark Powell suit for his performance at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was an open-air concert held on Easter Monday, 20 April 1992 at London's Wembley Stadium, for an audience of 72,000. The concert was produced for television by Ray Burdis and broadcast live on television and radio to 76 countries around the...
.
Powell's suits have been worn by Mel B of The Spice Girls, for the group's meeting with Prince Charles in 1997 , Naomi Campbell, notably for her court appearances, and Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
.
In 2000 Powell was installed at a studio in Brewer Street
Brewer Street
Brewer Street is a street in the Soho area of central London, England, running west to east from Glasshouse Street to Wardour Street. It was first developed in the late 17th century by the landowner, Sir William Pulteney. It first appears on a map of 1664, and was built up over the following...
where visitors for fittings included the DJ/actor Goldie
Goldie
Clifford Joseph Price, better known as Goldie is an English electronic music artist, disc jockey, visual artist and actor. He is well known for his innovations in the jungle and drum and bass music genres, having previously gained exposure for his work as a graffiti artist...
, the Earl Of Stockton Daniel MacMillan
Daniel MacMillan
Daniel MacMillan was a Scottish publisher from the Isle of Arran, Scotland.Daniel MacMillan was born in the Isle of Arran to a crofting family...
and singer-songwriter Kevin Rowland
Kevin Rowland
Kevin Rowland is an English singer-songwriter and former frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners, which had several hits in the early 1980s, the most notable being "Geno" and "Come On Eileen".-Career:...
, who commissioned Powell outfits for the 2003 live reunion of his group Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners are a British pop group with soul influences, who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. They are best known for their songs "Come On Eileen" and "Geno", both of which went No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart....
.
In this period - when his work was noted for its "attention to detail" - Powell also created collections for Marks & Spencer's Autograph range and his clothing has featured in such films as Absolute Beginners
Absolute Beginners
Absolute Beginners is a novel by Colin MacInnes, written and set in 1958 London, England. It was published in 1959. The novel is the second of MacInnes' London Trilogy, coming after City Of Spades and before Mr. Love and Justice...
, Shopping and Gangster No. 1
Gangster No. 1
Gangster No. 1 is a 2000 British crime film. It stars Malcolm McDowell, David Thewlis and Paul Bettany and was directed by Paul McGuigan.- Cast :*Malcolm McDowell as Gangster 55*David Thewlis as Freddie Mays*Paul Bettany as Young Gangster...
.
Exhibitions
Powell has participated in several Department of Trade & Industry-organised international fashion shows, and staged four of his own during London Fashion Weeks.A three-piece Powell suit is part of the Victoria & Albert Museum's permanent collection and was featured in the museum's 1997 Cutting Edge exhibition.
Powell also contributed garments to the British Fashion Council's 21st Century Dandy exhibition of 2003 and appeared in the accompanying book .
Powell's work was also covered in Eric Musgrave's book about tailoring, Sharp Suits .
External links
http://markpowellbespoke.co.uk/http://www.markpowellbespoke.co.uk/flash/index.htm