British fashion designer Dame Mary Quant has died aged 93.
On April 13, Mary Quant - who is credited with popularizing the miniskirts that helped define the 60s - passed away "peacefully at home in Surrey," her family announced. Since then, tributes have been pouring in from the fashion world and beyond. Twiggy, who became a style icon during the era, said Dame Mary had "such an influence on young girls in the late 50s early 60s". In a post on social media, she wrote, "She revolutionised fashion and was a brilliant female entrepreneur. The 1960s would have never been the same without her."
Her death comes just weeks after the passing of another British icon, Paul O'Grady, who died on March 28. And much like the entertainer's death left the public wanting to know the details of Paul O'Grady's family life, many want to know more about the life of fashion designer Dame Mary Quant too. Here, we share details on her husband, children, and legacy in British fashion.
Who was Mary Quant's husband?
Mary Quant was married to Alexander Plunkett-Greene. The pair met a Goldsmith's University, London, where Quant was studying illustration. They were married in 1957, and remained together until his death in 1990.
Alexander Plunket Greene was grandson of the Irish singer Harry Plunket Greene, and helped his wife revolutionize fashion during their marriage. Together, they bought Bazaar in 1955, a fashion boutique on King's Road, where they sold Quant's designs to a new generation of young women with jobs, who had the disposable income to spend on clothes.
In 1988, Plunket Greene was told he had only two years to live, unless he stopped drinking. He died in 1990, at 57 years old.
In a 2012 interview with the Daily Mail, Mary Quant spoke about her husband's drinking. She said: "It was unbearable. Alexander drank too much, which had to do with his death."
She added, "His doctors suggested he should stop drinking, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to. He loved wine and drinking.
"He drank too much but he said that life wasn’t worthwhile without wine, that was his attitude."
She also said of her husband: "He was such fun to be with. He was the best dancer that ever happened, he really was. And a terrific looker."
Did Mary Quant have children?
Mary Quant and Alexander Plunket-Greene had one son together, Orlando, who was born in 1970 and works in computer marketing.
Orlando is married with three young children, and tends to keep out of the public eye. However, he has been pictured at a number of events supporting his mother and her work.
In 2019, he unveiled a plaque on the King’s Road during London Fashion Week which commemorates his mother's first store, and in 2021 he attended a screening of Quant - a documentary celebrating his mother's life and work - at The Everyman Chelsea.
Where did Mary Quant live?
Mary Quant grew up in Blackheath, London, and in the final years of her life the designer lived in Farley Green, a hamlet in Surrey.
She was born to Jack and Mildred Quant, two Welsh teachers who were both from mining families and went on to gain first-class degrees from Cardiff University before moving to London.
Quant attended Blackheath High School and dreamed of studying fashion, but her parents were unwilling to let her attend a fashion course. Instead she studied illustration, graduating in 1953.
Mary Quant net worth
Multiple sources put Mary Quant's net worth at $22 million at the time of her death. Most of this wealth was earned through her career in fashion.
Mary Quant is best remembered for popularizing the miniskirt, and her designs were influenced by the Mods and London's youth culture in the late 50s.
She named the miniskirt after her favorite make of car, and in a 2014 interview for PA she recalled its "feeling of freedom and liberation".
She said: "It was the girls on King's Road who invented the mini. I was making clothes which would let you run and dance and we would make them the length the customer wanted.
"I wore them very short and the customers would say, 'shorter, shorter'."
In an interview with the Daily Mail in 2012, Dame Mary Quant was asked whether she was ever surprised by how successful she had been.
She replied: "I mostly felt, my God, what a marvelous life you had, you are very fortunate. I think to myself, 'you lucky woman - how did you have all this fun?'"
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