Katharine Hamnett

Katharine Hamnett, 1988

Katharine Hamnett , CBE (born August 16, 1947 in Gravesend , Kent ) is a British fashion designer . It became known for its slogan T-shirts and made washed-out and torn jeans suitable for the catwalk. She advocates strict ethical standards in the fashion industry.

Life

Hamnett was born in Gravesend, the daughter of a member of the Royal Air Force . The family moved to France when Hamnett was five years old; further moves to Romania and Sweden ( Stockholm ) followed. She studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London from 1965 to 1969 . Hamnett founded the Tuttabankem label with Anne Buck in 1969 , with which she was active until 1974 and which was shown in London and Paris. A few years as a freelance fashion designer followed before she founded her fashion label Katharine Hamnett London in 1979 . Since 1981 she has been producing both women's and men's fashion.

Hamnett's fashion is sold in several flagship stores in London designed by Norman Foster , Nigel Coates and David Chipperfield . In 2005 the relaunch of her label, which is now called Katherine E Hamnett , took place. Hamnett's label comprises several lines, including a Classic, an Active and, since 1982, a Denim line, which she launched in 2008 under the name Katharine E Hamnett Jeans .

Fashion and political activism

Hamnett was best known for her connection between politics and fashion. From 1983 onwards she produced so-called “Message T-Shirts” or “Slogan T-Shirts” in oversize, with ethical, social or political messages such as “Think Global” or “Stop Acid Rain” written on them in black letters. Hamnett received international attention when she wore a shirt that read “58% Don't Want Pershing ” at a British fashion designer reception held by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1984 . Hamnett had joined the anti-nuclear protests by women at the British Air Force Base in Greenham Common during this period . Her appearance in front of Thatcher is considered "one of the most unforgettable fashion moments of the decade" and a "challenge of the establishment by the fashion world".

Hamnett's collections included slogan T-shirts that made her one of the “most copied designers”, torn and stone-washed jeans, which she was the first to make catwalk-compatible, as well as clothing with floral and graphic prints. In addition to organic cotton and jersey, Hamnett also uses parachute silk. She is considered a pioneer in various fashion styles, including the military look. Her collections were shown at London Fashion Week , from 1989 at shows in Paris and from 1994 in Milan.

In the course of the repositioning of her label, Hamnett also placed emphasis on stricter ethical standards - in the area of ​​materials and production - for which she is also openly committed in the fashion industry. In addition to issues such as environmental pollution and war, Hamnett is also dedicated to the AIDS epidemic in Africa, for example in 2004 she presented clothes with the slogan "Use a Condom". Their collections have names like “Clean Up or Die” (autumn / winter 2011/2012); “Save the Sea” was the first swimwear line that Hamnett produced in 2010 in collaboration with Yooxygen . In 2012 Hamnett collaborated with H&M and designed T-shirts with the label “Save The Future” as part of a climate week. The proceeds from the sale benefited the Environmental Justice Foundation. As early as 2009, in collaboration with H&M, she designed a t-shirt with the slogan “Protect and Survive”, with part of the proceeds going to Designers Against Aids.

Popular culture

The Wham! popularized the slogan T-shirts, so in their video for Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go 1984 they wore Hamnett shirts with the words "Choose Life" on them. Roger Taylor wore a similar shirt in the video for Queens Hammer to Fall that same year . Hamnett's customers included Madonna and Mick Jagger , among others .

Awards (selection)

• 1984: British Facion Council's Designer of the Year
• 2011: Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

literature

• Hamnett, Katherine . In: Ingrid Loschek: The fashion designers. A dictionary from Armani to Yamamoto . Beck, Munich 1998, pp. 95-96.
• Katharine Hamnett . In: Terry Jones, Susie Rushton (Eds.): Fashion Now . Taschen, Cologne 2006, pp. 78–79.
• Katharine Hamnett - The catwalk activist . In: Paula Reed: 50 Fashion Looks of the 80s . Prestel, Munich 2013, pp. 50–51.

Web links

• Katharine Hamnett's website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Emma Akbareian: My Secret Life: Katharine Hamnett, fashion designer, 63 . independent.co.uk, March 26, 2011.
2. ↑ Slogan T-shirt designer Katharine Hamnett appointed CBE . December 31, 2010.
3. ↑ About ( Memento of the original from September 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The  archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on katharinehamnett.com
4. ↑ Leisa Barnett: The Return of Hamnett . vogue.co.uk, June 26, 2008.
5. ↑ Photo and background under Deborah Arthurs: "She uttered a shriek of horror": Margaret Thatcher's shock at Katherine Hamnett's Downing Street T-shirt protest . dailymail.co.uk January 5, 2012.
6. ↑ ^{a b c} Katharine Hamnett - The catwalk activist . In: Paula Reed: 50 Fashion Looks of the 80s . Prestel, Munich 2013, p. 50.
7. ↑ Hamnett, Katherine . In: Ingrid Loschek: The fashion designers. A dictionary from Armani to Yamamoto . Beck, Munich 1998, p. 96.
8. ↑ Katharine Hamnett . In: Terry Jones, Susie Rushton (Eds.): Fashion Now . Taschen, Cologne 2006, p. 78.
9. ↑ Ella Alexander: Hamnett Dives In . vogue.co.uk, June 1, 2010.
10. ^ Climate Week . vogue.co.uk, March 13, 2012.
11. ↑ Jessica Bumpus: H & M's helping hand . vogue.co.uk, May 12, 2009.