In the heart of London is the famed side street where the fashions of yesteryear once called their home, the trendy and often outrageous Carnaby Street.
Prior to 1950, the street was mainly made up of a number of sweatshop tailors who produced suits for London’s Seville Row. Around 1955, things changed forever when a man named Bill Green opened a store called Vince, which catered primarily to the city’s growing gay population. By the 1960s, however, Rock stars had taken notice of the funky offerings and mega groups such as the Rolling Stones and Beatles were soon finding their newest duds in this hub of cutting edge style.
Today, Carnaby Street is more of a tourist attraction than anything, lined with souvenir shops and stores that might be considered more tacky than tasteful. For the more innovative designs, however, one only need to travel to Newburgh Street, which runs perpendicular to Carnaby. Here, the designers of the day such as Pam Hogg and Jean Paul Gaultier have taken up shop and carried on the tradition that was once Carnaby Street.
Prior to 1950, the street was mainly made up of a number of sweatshop tailors who produced suits for London’s Seville Row. Around 1955, things changed forever when a man named Bill Green opened a store called Vince, which catered primarily to the city’s growing gay population. By the 1960s, however, Rock stars had taken notice of the funky offerings and mega groups such as the Rolling Stones and Beatles were soon finding their newest duds in this hub of cutting edge style.
Today, Carnaby Street is more of a tourist attraction than anything, lined with souvenir shops and stores that might be considered more tacky than tasteful. For the more innovative designs, however, one only need to travel to Newburgh Street, which runs perpendicular to Carnaby. Here, the designers of the day such as Pam Hogg and Jean Paul Gaultier have taken up shop and carried on the tradition that was once Carnaby Street.
