British designer John Bates has died at the age of 83. Historically credited with inventing the miniskirt, Bates is best known for his influence on the space-age style that dominated Britain in the 1960s. This was reported by the specialist magazine WWD on Wednesday.
Bates first entered the fashion world in the 1950s, working for London fashion designer Herbert Sidon with no fashion training whatsoever. There he worked, among others, with the designer Gerard Pipart, who later became a couture designer at Nina Ricci, reports WWD. In 1959, at the age of 21, Bates began creating his own designs – under the stage name Jean Varon.
In 1965 he became known for designing dresses for famous actors in the British television series “The Avengers”. It was also the year that British Vogue editor Marrit Allen hailed him as the inventor of the miniskirt. In the years that followed, Bates continued to dress many celebrities of the time, from musicians to members of the royal family.
In the early 1980s, Bates’ brand went bankrupt and he decided to retire from the fashion world. He then moved to Wales, where he devoted himself to portrait painting.
In 2006, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London put together another exhibition of Bates’ work.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.
