Mary Quant – ‘60s Mini Revolution – Opens at the Museum of Style Icons, Newbridge Silverware
A brand-new exhibition celebrating one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century has just opened at the world-renowned Museum of Style Icons at Newbridge Silverware in County Kildare. Mary Quant – ‘60s Mini Revolution – honours the legacy of the late British fashion designer, Dame Mary Quant (1930–2023), whose fearless and playful approach to fashion helped define the Swinging Sixties and revolutionised how women dressed.
This exciting exhibition marks the first time the collection, owned by Dubliner Jannette Flood, has been shown in Ireland. Having previously featured in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s globally acclaimed touring exhibition, Flood’s collection now makes its Irish debut. With more than a million people having seen it across London, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, and Glasgow, the exhibition’s arrival in Newbridge is a cultural milestone.
The display includes a remarkable array of original Mary Quant garments, makeup, and accessories collected by Flood over several decades. Highlights include rare examples of Quant’s playful “Face Crayons”, her iconic black and white PVC handbags, a collection of skinny-rib dresses, a dramatic hot pink cape and ring pull zipper dresses. People can also see cleverly designed accessories such as a lipstick hidden inside a silver ring and a watch—allowing women to literally wear their makeup—as well as a pair of knee-high boots that zip down into ankle boots, a testament to Quant’s inventive, functional design philosophy.
For Flood, the inspiration to collect Mary Quant came from growing up in a highly style-conscious family. Her mother was a hairdresser, her father a fox furrier, her uncle a tailor, and her great-grandmother a dresser in Dublin’s Royal Theatre. In 1986, when Virgin Records opened in Dublin with a Topshop upstairs stocking Mary Quant cosmetics, Flood—then a teenager—made her first Quant purchase. The arrival of such a vibrant and modern brand in the drab and run-down city centre of Dublin left a lasting impression and sparked what would become a lifelong passion.
In the pre-internet age, Flood scoured second-hand shops and vintage bookstores for original items and imagery from the 1960s. Her collecting became serious during her time living in London, where she worked at the iconic shop The Merc and spent weekends in Walthamstow rummaging through thrift stores. Her first key fashion find was a striped rayon silk dress from Quant’s Ginger Group label—featured in the original promotional film for the brand. Later, in New York, she discovered a trove of deadstock cosmetics. As a graphic designer, she was particularly drawn to the packaging and branding, which she considered artworks in their own right.
Flood’s passion was not about fashion as consumerism, but as preservation. She viewed Quant’s work as a living timeline of 1960s social change. Her collection now includes designs from Quant’s early Bazaar boutique to her collaborations with JC Penney, Alligator, and Kangol. Still, it’s the Ginger Group pieces and cosmetic items that remain her personal favourites.
In the mid-2000s, she contacted the Victoria and Albert Museum about storing fragile items like suede and fur. This led to conversations with curator Jenny Lister and, eventually, the inclusion of 21 of Flood’s pieces in the V&A’s landmark Mary Quant exhibition. The show toured internationally for four years and became the V&A’s most successful fashion exhibition to date.
Mary Quant’s story is the story of women’s liberation through style. Born in London in 1930 and educated at Goldsmiths, she opened her first boutique, Bazaar, on the King’s Road in Chelsea in 1955. From that small shop, she launched an international fashion empire. Her signature look—short skirts, bold colours, PVC raincoats, Peter Pan collars, and skinny-rib sweaters—captured the spirit of a new generation. Her influence was felt not only in fashion but in beauty, popularising waterproof mascara, fake tan, and a complete approach to modern cosmetics.
Quant believed that fashion should be accessible and fun. In 1963, she launched the Ginger Group—an affordable line sold in department stores—which brought her distinctive style to a mass audience. At the height of her popularity, it’s estimated that over seven million women owned at least one Quant piece. Her look was championed by supermodel Twiggy and worn by cultural icons like Cilla Black, Jean Shrimpton, and Pattie Boyd.
Dame Mary famously declared she “didn’t have time to wait for women’s lib,” instead empowering women with designs that allowed freedom of movement and expression. She raised hemlines, reimagined wardrobe staples, and collaborated with her friend Vidal Sassoon to popularise the sharp, geometric bob haircut.
William Doyle, CEO of Newbridge Silverware and the Museum of Style Icons remarked, “This remarkable exhibition perfectly complements our permanent collection, which includes the only complete set of Beatles suits worn by the band themselves. Mary Quant’s energy, innovation, and influence reflect the spirit of the 1960s, and we are delighted to share her legacy with Irish audiences.”
The Museum of Style Icons, located within the award-winning Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre, is one of Ireland’s most visited cultural attractions. It houses fashion and film memorabilia that once belonged to icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Princess Grace, Princess Diana, Victoria Beckham, Nicole Kidman, Elizabeth Taylor, and The Beatles. What began in 2006 with the acquisition of a single Audrey Hepburn dress has since evolved into a world-class museum visited by fashion and culture lovers from around the world.
With Mary Quant – ‘60s Mini Revolution, the museum pays tribute to a designer whose legacy continues to inspire. Quant’s work was never just about clothing—it was about confidence, independence, and joy.
Admission is free and the exhibition runs until the end of 2025. For more information, visit www.visitnewbridgesilverware.com
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For further press information, to interview Jannette Flood, for more photography or to visit the Museum of Style Icons at Newbridge Silverware please contact Aileen O’Brien, O’Brien PR, (086) 8403624 aileen@obrienpr.com
