Patrick Cox

Infobox Fashion Designer


caption=
name=Patrick Cox
nationality=Canadian/Naturalised British
birth_date=Birth date and age|1963|3|19
birth_place=Edmonton, Alberta Province, Canada
death_date=
death_place=
education=London College of Fashion (Formerly Cordwainer's Technical College)
label_name=Patrick Cox
Charles Jourdan
significant_design=
awards= Major awards:
* British Accessories Designer of the year, 1994 & 1995
* British Marie Claire Accessory Designer of the Year, 1996
* Fashion Medal of Honor by the Footwear Association of New York, 1996.|

Patrick Cox is a Canadian-British fashion designer and an eponymous fashion label specializing in the creation of shoes, leather goods and accessories. Cox is most noted for the use of unusual materials and a mixture of Avant-garde and traditional styles.

Born 19 March, 1963, in Edmonton, Canada, Cox was educated locally, except for periods when his father's work led the family to postings in Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon. Cox eventually graduated from school in Edmonton Canada and moved to Toronto on his own when he was 17.

Early career

At the age of 19, Cox produced his first pair of shoes, for the Toronto-based designer Loucas Kleanthous, who suggested Cox consider a career as a designer. An interest in British fashion led Cox to study at Cordwainer's Technical College, London, a design school that was absorbed into the London College of Fashion in 2000. Cox studied at Cordwainer's from 1983 to 1985.

During his time as a student in London Cox spent as much time in nightclubs as he did studying. Through his partying Cox became friends with several well know designers, such as Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano who, at that time, were emerging stars. As a result, in 1984, Westwood asked Cox to design shoes to go with her "Clint Eastwood" collection. One of the shoes that Cox created, incorporated a 6 inch platform that would become the prototype of a pair later worn by the English supermodel, Naomi Campbell, when she fell during a Westwood fashion show in Paris, France in 1993.

Working life

Cox set up his own company designing shoes in 1985 and in 1986, designed the shoes for John Galliano's "Fallen Angels" collection. Cox continued to work with Galliano for a further six seasons. Subsequently, Cox launched his own Patrick Cox label, adopting the fleur-de-lys logo.

In 1988 Cox moved his production from the UK to Italy where the shoes were made in various regions; The Veneto, Toscana, and Le Marche - all of which are regions noted for shoe manufacture.

In 1991, Cox opened his first shop opposite the Peter Jones department store in Sloane Square, a well known fashion district of London. In 1993, Cox marketed his first collection designed for the mass market. This collection called "Wannabe" increased the company's annual sales from 4000 to 500,000 pairs in 13 months. In 1994, Cox opened his first store in Paris at 62 rue Tiquetonne, followed in 1995 by a second store in London at 129 Sloane Street, a new store in New York and a second store in Paris on rue de Grenelle. During this time, Cox was twice awarded Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.

In 2000, Cox was approached by the fashion house Charles Jourdan, and in January 2003 he was appointed Creative Director, his brief being to rejuvenate the brand. After 2 years of successful collaboration, Cox decided to move on to concentrate on the development of his own label.

Clients and models

Patrick Cox's shoes and customised designs have been worn by models, celebrities and public figures including Madonna, Elton John, Paul Weller, David Beckham, Cate Blanchett, and Elizabeth Hurley amongst others.

Sources

* [http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/interiors/article2830897.ece News Article - Timesonline, November 2007]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=IZ1Q4BRSDD5ONQFIQMGSFF4AVCBQWIV0?xml=/fashion/2003/01/16/fshoe.xml&page=3 News Article - Telegraph.co.uk, 16th January, 2003]
* [http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/07/25/style/fcox.php News Article - International Herald Tribune, 26th July, 2005]
* [http://www.historyofashion.com/historyofashion/shoecox.html Biography of Patrick Cox - Historyoffashion.com]
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/patrick-cox?cat=biz-fin Encyclopedia Article - Answers.com]

External links

* [http://www.patrickcox.com Patrick Cox - Official Website]