Mr Fish kipper tie displayed at Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style
A rare Mr Fish kipper tie discovered in a charity shop has gone on display at the Museum of London Docklands as part of its latest exhibition Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style (on show until April 2024).
Designed by the leading menswear designer Michael Fish, the tie was bought for 99p by 65-year-old charity shop enthusiast Janneke van der Wal who found it in an Age UK shop in Southampton. Attracted by its design and colour, she had no idea of its cultural significance but after googling the designer when she got home, decided to contact the Museum of London to donate it to their collection.
This type of tie, with its exaggerated wide shape, became known as a ‘kipper tie’- a name created as a pun on the designer’s name, Michael Fish. The boundary-pushing menswear designer was a key figure of the 1960s-70s counterculture movement the ‘peacock revolution’ and would go on to launch his own business Mr Fish. Known for his bold use of colour and pattern, Fish revitalised staples of British menswear and played with innovative silhouettes for men. His designs were worn by notable celebrities including Mick Jagger, Muhammad Ali, Jimi Hendrix, and Michael Caine. He dressed Sean Connery for his first role as James Bond, and David Bowie famously wore a Mr Fish dress on the cover of his 1970 album The Man Who Sold the World.
Designed by the leading menswear designer Michael Fish, the tie was bought for 99p by 65-year-old charity shop enthusiast Janneke van der Wal who found it in an Age UK shop in Southampton. Attracted by its design and colour, she had no idea of its cultural significance but after googling the designer when she got home, decided to contact the Museum of London to donate it to their collection.
This type of tie, with its exaggerated wide shape, became known as a ‘kipper tie’- a name created as a pun on the designer’s name, Michael Fish. The boundary-pushing menswear designer was a key figure of the 1960s-70s counterculture movement the ‘peacock revolution’ and would go on to launch his own business Mr Fish. Known for his bold use of colour and pattern, Fish revitalised staples of British menswear and played with innovative silhouettes for men. His designs were worn by notable celebrities including Mick Jagger, Muhammad Ali, Jimi Hendrix, and Michael Caine. He dressed Sean Connery for his first role as James Bond, and David Bowie famously wore a Mr Fish dress on the cover of his 1970 album The Man Who Sold the World.
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