Tommy Roberts Mr Freedom
Encyclopedia
Tommy Roberts is an English
design and fashion entrepreneur who has operated several prominent British retail outlets, including the pop-art boutique Mr Freedom and 1980s homewares store Practical Styling.
With commissioned designs in the Victoria & Albert Museum's permanent collection, Roberts was the first fashion business executive to license images from Walt Disney Co (in 1969) and the first fashion retailer to establish an outlet in London's Covent Garden (in 1972).
Roberts has many music business connections: Mick Jagger
wore Roberts designs onstage at the Rolling Stones performance at Altamont Speedway in 1969; Elton John
wore Mr Freedom clothes for his breakthrough appearances in the US in 1970; and David Bowie
wore suits from Roberts' store City Lights Studio in the mid 70s. During this period, Roberts was the manager of the pub-rock group Kilburn & the High Roads, fronted by the late Ian Dury
.
Latterly, through his central London outlet Tom-Tom (in the 90s) and his son Keith's shop Two Columbia Road, Roberts has promoted sales of collectibles, artefacts and furniture, particularly of the mid-century modern variety.
in the centre of Swinging London. Selling Victoriana and military-wear, his customers included Jimi Hendrix
and The Who
. His associates included John Paul of I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet
and Trevor Myles. In 1967 a branch of Kleptomania opened in Carnaby Street.
With Myles, Roberts developed a Pop Art concept using bright colours and tongue-in-cheek designs by young talents including Dinah Adams, Diana Crawshaw, Pamla Motown, Jim O'Connor and Chris Snow. The shop manager was the colourful Gerald Tilling. Of similar stature to Roberts, the pair sometimes dressed identically to add to the store's showmanship.
The name of the store was taken from William Klein's film Mr Freedom and the interior was given a neon fit-out by design collective Electric Colour Company.
Mr Freedom stocked such items as slogan t-shirts, velvet hot-pants, jersey maxi-dresses, dungarees, accessories and notably O'Connor's winged shoes, as worn by Elton John. These and other items from this period are in the V&A’s permanent collection, while the playful designs impressed such visitors to the store as the designer Yohji Yamamoto
.
and textiles by Jane Wealleans and others. In the basement was a restaurant/diner called Mr Feed’Em. This served food in dyed colours, and was designed by Wealleans with letterhead, menu and graphics by George Hardie
.
Trevor Myles departed after four months and returned to 430 King's Road where he opened Paradise Garage
in May 1971.
Mr Feed ‘Em was the subject of a feature in the July 1971 issue of Design magazine ( "Waiter! There's a Pop movement in my soup!" ) and Cecil Beaton featured Mr Freedom garments in the same year's V&A exhibition Fashion: An Anthology.
Later Roberts played a key role in Vivienne Westwood’s story when he provided advice and a lawyer after she and Malcolm McLaren had taken over Paradise Garage from Myles and occupied 430 King’s Road, the premises from which she continues to operate her boutique Worlds End 40 years later.
This contrasted with the Mr Freedom aesthetic by adopting fine tailoring - with menswear designed by Derek Morton - and sombre colours. Among customers was David Bowie, who wore City Lights suits on the sleeves of his 1973 album Pin-Ups and 1975's David Live
.
and the Sex Pistols
within a couple of years.
Identified as pioneering "hi-tech" design, this caught the post-modern spirit of the times as exemplified by Memphis Group
and fused it with British kitsch and American hardware, selling day-glo coloured metal dustbins, diner crockery, luncheonette fittings and rolls of carousel flooring as well as yellow/black vinyl stools, palette-shaped coffee tables and plastic poodle lamps.
and streetwear guru Michael Kopleman.
's Mr Freedom jacket was featured in Christie's popular culture/entertainment sale of June 2011.
In 1990 the French-born Los Angeles-based Christophe Loiron launched vintage clothing business Mister Freedom. That the name was a tribute to Roberts' boutiques rather than the film was made explicit by displays of original Mr Freedom garments in his retail outlet in West Hollywood.
Roberts resides on England's south coast where he continues to collect art, writes and paints.
A book about Roberts' life and career is being written by Paul Gorman
for publication spring 2012.
Gorman features Roberts' reminiscences and anecdotes on his website.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
design and fashion entrepreneur who has operated several prominent British retail outlets, including the pop-art boutique Mr Freedom and 1980s homewares store Practical Styling.
With commissioned designs in the Victoria & Albert Museum's permanent collection, Roberts was the first fashion business executive to license images from Walt Disney Co (in 1969) and the first fashion retailer to establish an outlet in London's Covent Garden (in 1972).
Roberts has many music business connections: 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....
wore Roberts designs onstage at the Rolling Stones performance at Altamont Speedway in 1969; Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
wore Mr Freedom clothes for his breakthrough appearances in the US in 1970; and David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
wore suits from Roberts' store City Lights Studio in the mid 70s. During this period, Roberts was the manager of the pub-rock group Kilburn & the High Roads, fronted by the late Ian Dury
Ian Dury
Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
.
Latterly, through his central London outlet Tom-Tom (in the 90s) and his son Keith's shop Two Columbia Road, Roberts has promoted sales of collectibles, artefacts and furniture, particularly of the mid-century modern variety.
Early life
Roberts was raised in Forest Hill and Deptford, south-east London. In the late 50s he attended Goldsmith's art college and in the early 60s operated espresso bars while collecting antiques and vintage clothing.Kleptomania
In 1966 Roberts’ opened the boutique Kleptomania in Kingly Street, parallel with Carnaby StreetCarnaby Street
Carnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in London, United Kingdom, located in the Soho district, near Oxford Street and Regent Street. It is home to numerous fashion and lifestyle retailers, including a large number of independent fashion boutiques...
in the centre of Swinging London. Selling Victoriana and military-wear, his customers included Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. His associates included John Paul of I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet
I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet
I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet was a clothing boutique which achieved fame in 1960s "Swinging London" by promoting antique military uniforms as fashion items....
and Trevor Myles. In 1967 a branch of Kleptomania opened in Carnaby Street.
Mr Freedom King's Road
In 1969, Roberts acquired the lease of 430 King’s Road in World’s End, Chelsea from Michael Rainey and Jane Ormsby-Gore, who had operated the store as Hung On You.With Myles, Roberts developed a Pop Art concept using bright colours and tongue-in-cheek designs by young talents including Dinah Adams, Diana Crawshaw, Pamla Motown, Jim O'Connor and Chris Snow. The shop manager was the colourful Gerald Tilling. Of similar stature to Roberts, the pair sometimes dressed identically to add to the store's showmanship.
The name of the store was taken from William Klein's film Mr Freedom and the interior was given a neon fit-out by design collective Electric Colour Company.
Mr Freedom stocked such items as slogan t-shirts, velvet hot-pants, jersey maxi-dresses, dungarees, accessories and notably O'Connor's winged shoes, as worn by Elton John. These and other items from this period are in the V&A’s permanent collection, while the playful designs impressed such visitors to the store as the designer Yohji Yamamoto
Yohji Yamamoto
Yōji Yamamoto , is an award winning Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris. Yohji is considered to be among the master tailors whose work is thought to be of fashion genius and he has been described by Julie Gilhart, fashion director for Barney's New York as probably the only designer...
.
Mr Freedom Kensington
With backing from John Paul, Roberts shifted Mr Freedom in December 1970 to a four-storey outlet in neighbouring Kensington Church Street. This mini-department store continued to sell comic-strip clothes along with kitsch homewares, pop furniture designed by Jon Wealleans and Michael HaynesMichael Haynes
Michael Washington Augustis Haynes, Jr. is a former American football defensive end. He played five seasons on the National Football League, from 2003 to 2007.-Professional career:...
and textiles by Jane Wealleans and others. In the basement was a restaurant/diner called Mr Feed’Em. This served food in dyed colours, and was designed by Wealleans with letterhead, menu and graphics by George Hardie
George Hardie (artist)
George Hardie is a graphic designer, illustrator and educator, best known for his work producing cover art for the albums of rock musicians and bands with the British art design group Hipgnosis....
.
Trevor Myles departed after four months and returned to 430 King's Road where he opened Paradise Garage
Paradise Garage
The Paradise Garage was a discotheque notable in the history of modern gay and nightclub cultures and in dance and pop music. It was founded by Michael Brody, its sole proprietor, and was located at 84 King Street, in the Hudson Square neighborhood of New York City. It operated from 1976 to 1987...
in May 1971.
Mr Feed ‘Em was the subject of a feature in the July 1971 issue of Design magazine ( "Waiter! There's a Pop movement in my soup!" ) and Cecil Beaton featured Mr Freedom garments in the same year's V&A exhibition Fashion: An Anthology.
Later Roberts played a key role in Vivienne Westwood’s story when he provided advice and a lawyer after she and Malcolm McLaren had taken over Paradise Garage from Myles and occupied 430 King’s Road, the premises from which she continues to operate her boutique Worlds End 40 years later.
City Lights Studio
Mr Freedom closed in summer 1972. Roberts dissolved his partnership with John Paul and became the first fashion retailer to open in London's fruit and veg market Covent Garden with City Lights Studio (with new partner Willy Daly) in November 1972.This contrasted with the Mr Freedom aesthetic by adopting fine tailoring - with menswear designed by Derek Morton - and sombre colours. Among customers was David Bowie, who wore City Lights suits on the sleeves of his 1973 album Pin-Ups and 1975's David Live
David Live
David Live is David Bowie’s first official live album, originally released by RCA Records in 1974. Recorded on the initial leg of Bowie’s US tour supporting Diamond Dogs in July of that year , it has been cited as one of the best live...
.
Kilburn & The High Roads
When City Lights closed in 1974, Roberts made the links between fashion and music overt by managing Ian Dury’s eccentric art-rock band Kilburn & The High Roads, providing the model for Malcolm McLaren to manage musicians such as the New York DollsNew York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
and the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
within a couple of years.
Art and antique collecting and dealing
In 1975 Roberts moved into private art and design dealing and collecting on behalf of himself and celebrity clients.Practical Styling
In 1981 Roberts opened home-wares and furniture outlet Practical Styling with partner Paul Jones off Tottenham Court Road in London's West End.Identified as pioneering "hi-tech" design, this caught the post-modern spirit of the times as exemplified by Memphis Group
Memphis Group
The Memphis Group was an Italian design and architecture group started by Ettore Sottsass that designed Post Modern furniture, fabrics, ceramics, glass and metal objects from 1981-1987.-Origins:...
and fused it with British kitsch and American hardware, selling day-glo coloured metal dustbins, diner crockery, luncheonette fittings and rolls of carousel flooring as well as yellow/black vinyl stools, palette-shaped coffee tables and plastic poodle lamps.
Tom-Tom
In the 90s Roberts moved into original art and design collectibles with the store Tom-Tom, where he pioneered interest in furniture from the past, in particular those of the mid-century modern era. He also dipped his toe back into fashion with collaborations with the London fashion label MaharishiMaharishi
Maharishi is the anglicized version of the Sanskrit word Maharshi महर्षि . Maharishi is often use as an addition to a person's name as an honorary title. The term was first seen in modern English literature in the 18th century...
and streetwear guru Michael Kopleman.
Two Columbia Road
In the early 00s Roberts' son Keith opened Two Columbia Road in Shoreditch,on the corner of London's weekly flower market. This is an international shopping destination for furniture and all manner of artefacts.Later life
Designs sold through Roberts' boutiques - in particular Mr Freedom - are highly collectible and feature in contemporary design auctions such as Christie's 2008 sale Resurrection: Avant Garde Fashion.. Marc BolanMarc Bolan
Marc Bolan was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and poet. He is best known as the founder, frontman, lead singer & guitarist for T. Rex, but also a successful solo artist...
's Mr Freedom jacket was featured in Christie's popular culture/entertainment sale of June 2011.
In 1990 the French-born Los Angeles-based Christophe Loiron launched vintage clothing business Mister Freedom. That the name was a tribute to Roberts' boutiques rather than the film was made explicit by displays of original Mr Freedom garments in his retail outlet in West Hollywood.
Roberts resides on England's south coast where he continues to collect art, writes and paints.
A book about Roberts' life and career is being written by Paul Gorman
Paul Gorman
Paul Gorman is an English writer.-Career:From 1978, Gorman worked on weekly news for trade publications. In 1983, Gorman won the Periodical Publishers Association award for campaigning journalism for a series of investigative food industry articles and in 1990 was appointed west coast bureau chief...
for publication spring 2012.
Gorman features Roberts' reminiscences and anecdotes on his website.
External links
- http://nicolasvintageboutique.blogspot.com/2008/08/mr-freedom.html
- http://www.rockpopfashion.com/blog/?p=57
- http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/mr-freedom/
- http://collections.vam.ac.uk/name/mr-freedom/4764/
- http://twocolumbiaroad.co.uk/
- http://www.poseur.net/