Marion Foale

Marion Foale

Marion Foale (Born London on 13 March 1939) artist and fashion designer.

Foale attended Ilford County High School, where she entered (and won) several painting contests. After school she attended Walthamstow School of Art. Two years later, she realized that her love of art would never translate into a career that would sustain her, and decided to attend fashion school.

Early years

In 1959, she was one of the privileged few chosen from all the fashion design courses throughout the country to take a three year degree course at the Royal College of Art under Professor Janey Ironside. Foale studied the three dimensional construction of garments and how differing fabrics behave by working freely on the tailor’s dummy, making a toile (mock up in calico).

In 1960, during her second year at the Royal College, Foale was asked to submit designs for the Queen’s mantle, worn for the Order of the British Empire dedication ceremony; previously a man had always performed this ceremony but, as Her Majesty did not wear trousers, a feminine ensemble was required. Marion’s design was chosen and it is still worn to this day.

Foale & Tuffin dress, 1966

Foale & Tuffin dress, 1966

Foale & Tuffin

Foale and Sally Tuffin both studied at the Royal College of Art, and together became part of the start of the Sixties cultural and fashion revolution. Foale and Tuffin left the Royal College of Art in 1961. "Foale and Tuffin" was born after they made an appointment to show two dresses to the buyer at Woollands 21 shop, next door to Harvey Nichols, finding the buyer was desperate for merchandise from young designers. Foale and Tuffin took three floors of a narrow house and shopfront in Carnaby Street. Shunning Paris fashion, they turned their design focus towards ‘fun’ clothes.

By 1963, they fulfilled their ambitions of running a successful business without the help of a man. Displaying their distinctive garments in their shop window, Vogue magazine found and admired them, selecting one dress to be photographed. David Bailey took the shot, resulting in their first picture appearing in Vogue in 1962. Introducing their ‘Young Ideas’ section, Vogue put many other young designers on the map at the same time, including John Bates, Bill Gibb, Gerald McCann, and Jean Muir. Foale and Tuffin became a part of Swinging London;^[1] by 1963, they realised that their growing enterprise needed new premises.

In a little walkway called Malborough Court, off Carnaby Street, they found their first real premises. The business increased so rapidly that that they soon realised that they needed to open this as a shop. When Americans became aware of the upsurge of the ‘Youth Quake’ happening in London, their firm wanted to be part of it. Together with Mary Quant and Betsey Johnson, Foale and Tuffin were licensed to Puritan Fashion Corporation under a label called Paraphernalia. They embarked on whistle stop publicity tours around America, including Breakfast TV.

A book was published in October 2009, Foale and Tuffin: The Sixties. A Decade in Fashion by Iain R. Webb, published by ACC Publishing Group.

Family breaks and then Foale Ltd.

In the 1970s after both marrying and having children the business eventually declined. After a child break and the growing need to earn some money, Foale decided to move into knitwear, although this was not her area of expertise, actually knowing practically nothing about it. Hand knit was important at this time and everybody was knitting sweaters with pictures on them, or Arran and Fairisle styles. These garments were two dimensional, flat shapes, more or less like a “T” shape.

Foale's aim was to create timeless designs with the emphasis on perfect detail and she soon realised that there was a market for the designs she was creating and so was launched Foale Ltd. In 1985 Marion Foale produced a knitting pattern book which was designed to be simple, with the most desirable, easy patterns for people to knit at home, using four ply and double knitting. She then moved into knitting three dimensionally, making garments that were tailored and shaped just like a jacket. In 1987, Foale opened a shop in Hinde Street, near Marylebone High Street.

Notes

1. ^ Childs, Peter, Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture, 1999, page 1980, scanned by Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=iS4hsxKiMNgC&pg=PA180&dq=tuffin+foale+carnaby

Further reading

• Webb, Iain R. (2009). Foale and Tuffin: The Sixties. A Decade in Fashion, ACC Publishing, ISBN 1851496068

External links

• Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin (transcript of 1960s Fashion Interview, recorded April 2006)
• Foale & Tuffin V&A biography

Persondata
Name	Foale, Marion
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Date of birth	13 March 1939
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Date of death
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