Wayne Hemingway
Encyclopedia
Wayne Andrew Hemingway, MBE
(born Morecambe, Lancashire, January 19, 1961) is an English
fashion designer and co-founder of Red or Dead
. He is also chairman of the South Coast Design Forum, and chair of Building For Life (the national standard for well-designed homes and neighbourhoods forum).
Hemingway is the son of Canadian Mohawk
chief and former wrestler Billy Two Rivers
. His father left the family and returned to Canada when Wayne was 3, but the two resumed contact later on.
Wayne's earliest memories are of his mum and Nan dressing him up as Elvis, a Beatle or Tarzan
and being paraded up and down Morecambe pier.
These early child-modelling episodes, influenced the young Wayne. He was forever experimenting with styles and cultures and reinventing himself whenever the next big "thing" came along.
In 1979, he went on to complete another unusual move for the future fashion designer by gaining a Degree
in Geography
and Town Planning at University College London
.
One day he decided to empty his wardrobe and that of his childhood sweetheart (now his wife Gerardine) and took the contents to sell on Camden Market
.
"It was £6 rent for the stall and we took £80 the first day. It just took off from there,"
They did so well that by the end of the year they had 16 stalls at the market, with shipments of second-hand clothing and footwear brought in from all over the world.
The realization that money could be made from fashion suddenly dawned on him.
By 1983, they had opened a shop in fashionable Kensington
, London. Selling Geraldine's self-made clothes, designed by him. That same year, the first Red or Dead collection was also created, inspired from Russia
n peasant clothing. It was well received and they obtained a huge order from US department store Macy's
.
With Gerardine, Wayne built Red or Dead into a fashion label that received global acclaim resulting in winning the prestigious British Fashion Council
's Streetstyle Designer of the Year Award for an unprecedented 3 consecutive years in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
Red or Dead stores began to sell to Dr. Martens
work-wear shoes as a fashion item, this begins a huge range of fashion shoes within the stores.
After 21 consecutive seasons on the catwalk at London Fashion Week
. Wayne and Gerardine sold Red or Dead in a multi million cash sale.
In 1999, having sold Red or Dead they set up HemingwayDesign, which specializes in affordable and
social design. The highest profile project was, The Staiths South Bank, a 800 property mass market
housing project on Tyneside
for Taylor Wimpey
Homes where HemingwayDesign are involved from the master
planning, the architecture
through to the landscaping and marketing of this groundbreaking project.
Over 400 homes are now lived in and The Staiths has won a series of high profile awards including Housing Design Awards
(best large project) and Building Magazine's "Best Housing-Led Regeneration Project" as well as a Building For Life
and the highest rating of any large-scale scheme in a recent CABE
audit.
Other major projects include ‘The Bridge Dartford
’, a development of 1000 designer homes in Kent
.
Wayne and Gerardine were both appointed MBE
in 2006, for services to the design industry, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(born Morecambe, Lancashire, January 19, 1961) is an English
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...
fashion designer and co-founder of Red or Dead
Red or Dead
Red or Dead is a fashion designer and manufacturer, started in London in 1982 by Wayne Hemingway and his wife Geraldine Hemingway. They manufacture products such as shoes, spectacles, bags and watches.- Brand name :...
. He is also chairman of the South Coast Design Forum, and chair of Building For Life (the national standard for well-designed homes and neighbourhoods forum).
Hemingway is the son of Canadian Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
chief and former wrestler Billy Two Rivers
Billy Two Rivers
Billy Two Rivers , born May 5, 1935, is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. He began wrestling professionally in 1953 and competed until 1977. During his career, he wrestled in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada. After retiring from wrestling, he became a leader of the...
. His father left the family and returned to Canada when Wayne was 3, but the two resumed contact later on.
Wayne's earliest memories are of his mum and Nan dressing him up as Elvis, a Beatle or Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
and being paraded up and down Morecambe pier.
These early child-modelling episodes, influenced the young Wayne. He was forever experimenting with styles and cultures and reinventing himself whenever the next big "thing" came along.
In 1979, he went on to complete another unusual move for the future fashion designer by gaining a Degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
and Town Planning at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
One day he decided to empty his wardrobe and that of his childhood sweetheart (now his wife Gerardine) and took the contents to sell on Camden Market
Camden Market
The Camden Markets are a number of adjoining large markets in Camden Town near the Hampstead Road Lock of the Regent's Canal , often called collectively "Camden Market" or "Camden Lock". The stalls sell crafts, clothing, bric-a-brac, fast food, and other things...
.
"It was £6 rent for the stall and we took £80 the first day. It just took off from there,"
They did so well that by the end of the year they had 16 stalls at the market, with shipments of second-hand clothing and footwear brought in from all over the world.
The realization that money could be made from fashion suddenly dawned on him.
By 1983, they had opened a shop in fashionable Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London. Selling Geraldine's self-made clothes, designed by him. That same year, the first Red or Dead collection was also created, inspired from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n peasant clothing. It was well received and they obtained a huge order from US department store Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
.
With Gerardine, Wayne built Red or Dead into a fashion label that received global acclaim resulting in winning the prestigious British Fashion Council
British Fashion Council
The British Fashion Council is a non-profit trade group for British fashion designers founded in 1983.Based in London and currently chaired by Harold Tillman, who took over from friend Sir Stuart Rose, its main goal is to promote British fashion design across the world.-Main activities:The main...
's Streetstyle Designer of the Year Award for an unprecedented 3 consecutive years in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
Red or Dead stores began to sell to Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens is a traditional British footwear brand, which also makes a range of accessories – shoe care products, clothing, luggage, etc. In addition to Dr. Martens, they are known as Doctor Martens, Doc Martens, Docs or DMs...
work-wear shoes as a fashion item, this begins a huge range of fashion shoes within the stores.
After 21 consecutive seasons on the catwalk at London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week is an apparel trade show held in London, England twice each year, in February and September. It is one of the "Big Four" fashion weeks, along with New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week.-Organization:...
. Wayne and Gerardine sold Red or Dead in a multi million cash sale.
In 1999, having sold Red or Dead they set up HemingwayDesign, which specializes in affordable and
social design. The highest profile project was, The Staiths South Bank, a 800 property mass market
housing project on Tyneside
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...
for Taylor Wimpey
Taylor Wimpey
Taylor Wimpey plc is one of the largest British based housebuilding companies. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index...
Homes where HemingwayDesign are involved from the master
planning, the architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
through to the landscaping and marketing of this groundbreaking project.
Over 400 homes are now lived in and The Staiths has won a series of high profile awards including Housing Design Awards
(best large project) and Building Magazine's "Best Housing-Led Regeneration Project" as well as a Building For Life
and the highest rating of any large-scale scheme in a recent CABE
Cabe
Cabe can refer to:*Cabe , a tributary of the Sil River in Spain*CABE, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment...
audit.
Other major projects include ‘The Bridge Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
’, a development of 1000 designer homes in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Wayne and Gerardine were both appointed MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
in 2006, for services to the design industry, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.