Bill gibb wikipedia

Bill Gibb

Scottish fashion designer (–)

William Elphinstone Gibb (23 January – 3 January ) was a Scottishfashion designer who became renowned in the s and 70s for his unusual and flattering designs.[1]

Early life and education

Gibb was born near New Pitsligo, a small village in Aberdeenshire in Scotland to George and Jessie (née Reid) Gibb,[2] the eldest of their seven children.

Gibb, known affectionately as "Billy", was brought up by his maternal grandparents on their farm, Lochpots, near Fraserburgh.

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    • In , Gibb's family bought the dairy farm at Smiddyhill in Fraserburgh, before finally settling in Netherton, in New Pitsligo.[3]

    Gibb's parents retired from farmwork in , and latterly ran a bed and breakfast in the village of New Pitsligo. They celebrated their sixty-fifth wedding anniversary on 27 December , shortly before George Gibb's death in

    He was educated at Fraserburgh Academy.[4] His teachers encouraged him to apply for art school in London, and so, in , Gibb went to Saint Martin's School of Art.[4] After graduating top of his class, Gibb was awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, but before completing his degree, he left to start up in business.[2]

    Fashion design

    In Gibb was one of six young designers invited to present their designs in New York, which led to a three-month research tour of the United States with his then boyfriend,[5] the artist and textile designer Kaffe Fassett, who would remain a very close friend and design collaborator.[4] On his return to London, Gibb and a group of friends had co-founded the Alice Paul boutique, for which Gibb designed typically late s outfits of miniskirts and long coats, whilst his friends handled the marketing and manufacture.[4] Between and , as a freelance designer, Gibb designed for the London fashion house Baccarat.[6] In Gibb launched his own company, Bill Gibb Fashion Group, which ran until , and in he opened his first shop in London, on Bond Street.[6]

    Beatrix Miller of Vogue selected one of Gibb's designs for Baccarat, a pleated tartan skirt and printed blouse worn with a Kaffe Fassett knitted waistcoat, as the Dress of the Year.[7] Gibb's design was described as the epitome of the new emerging trend for romantic eclecticism in British fashion design, as well as demonstrating how traditional handicrafts, such as hand-knits, were becoming acceptable for mainstream fashion.[7] That same year, Harrods opened a dedicated area for Gibb's designs, calling it the "Bill Gibb Room",[4] and the model Twiggy approached Gibb to create several historically-inspired dresses for her.

    She wore a "Renaissance" evening dress featuring printed textiles based on s Hans Holbein drawings to the Daily Mirror's Fashion Celebrity Dinner in [8] Another gown made from various patterned textiles that Twiggy wore to the film première of The Boy Friend drew a great deal of media attention.[4][5][9]

    Gibb presented his first collection under his own name in [5] His fantastical creations were based on nature, with unexpected combinations of fur, feathers, printed leather, and brightly coloured clinging fabrics.[4] However, his most important work was in knitwear, co-designed with Kaffe Fasset and hand-knitted by Mildred Boulton.[4] Due to massive demand, Gibb found a manufacturer in Leicestershire who was willing to take on the challenge of machine-knitting Fassett's extraordinarily complicated, multi-coloured woollen designs, although Boulton continued to hand-knit one-off designs.[4] During the s, Gibb did take on other design commissions, including creating a range of shoe designs for the high-end shoe manufacturer Rayne.[10] Later, in the s, Gibb collaborated with another Leicestershire manufacturer, Annette Carol, to produce acrylic knitwear using a jacquard technique.[4]

    Gibb was not a good businessperson,[11] and his business was not financially successful, and collapsed in , and [4][11]

    By the s, he was producing small capsule collections as well as designing for individual private clients, and licensing his name to manufacturers and promotions, including a mail-order ensemble for readers of the UK magazine Women's Journal.[4] In , he made a comeback with his "Bronze Age" collection, co-designed with Kaffe Fassett and featuring hats by Stephen Jones,[12] however it did not attract buyers.[13]

    Personal life and death

    Gibb was described as "one of the most gentle, kindly and considerate human beings I have ever met" and a "man without malice" by the journalist Jack Webster.[14] Twiggy described him as her "knight in shining armour",[9] and as a "sweet, sunny farm boy in baggy corduroys whom I absolutely adored".[11]

    For a while in the late s, Gibb was in a relationship with Kaffe Fassett, who remained a close friend and colleague to the end.[11]

    At the time of Gibb's death of bowel cancer in , the Daily Mail reported that he died of AIDS, which was strongly denied by his friends and family.[11][15] Webster, writing for the Glasgow Herald also strongly refuted these claims, pointing out that the hospital had confirmed it was bowel cancer.[14] Despite this, Bill Gibb is still sometimes listed as an AIDS death.[16]

    Legacy

    In , the designer Giles Deacon cited Bill Gibb's designs as a significant influence on his work.[17] Alongside Deacon, John Galliano has also spoken out in praise of Bill Gibb's work for reflecting the "romantic essence of British style".[9]

    In , the last remaining section of the old Fraserburgh Academy building was renovated into an apartment complex, which was named after him.

    Exhibitions

    Bill Gibb's work is represented in the permanent collection of many museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London,[21] Manchester City Galleries,[22] the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool,[23] the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York,[24] as well as those listed above.

    References

    1. ^ ab"Collection of fashion drawings by Bill Gibb, Aberdeen Art Gallery. Art Funded in ".

    2. Bill gibb's clothes
    3. Bill gibb dress
    4. Clear
    5. Settings
    6. The Bill series 6 - Wikipedia

      7. The Art Fund. Archived from the original on 20 July Retrieved 7 January

    7. ^ ab"Ruffling fashion feathers: Gray's students donate outfit inspired by North-east designer to Aberdeen Art Gallery". Robert Gordon University. Archived from the original on 15 October Retrieved 7 January
    8. ^"Geordie and Jessie Gibb celebrate 65 happy years".

      Buchan Observer. Archived from the original on 23 September Retrieved 23 September

    9. ^ abcdefghijkl"Higher Still Resource: Bill Gibb London"(PDF).

      Education Scotland. Archived from the original(PDF) on 23 September Retrieved 7 January

    10. ^ abcSells, Emma. "Designers to Know: Bill Gibb". ELLE UK. Archived from the original on 2 October Retrieved 16 January
    11. ^ ab"Notable People from Fraserburgh".

      Visit Archived from the original on 3 October Retrieved 13 January

    12. ^ abWood, Holly (19 September ). "50 GREAT BRITISH FASHION MOMENTS".

      Bill gibb wikipedia These included shoe designs for the high-end manufacturer Rayne as well as knits in acrylic fabrics with the Leicestershire manufacturer Annette Carol. Loading Comments The model Twiggy was a friend and received much press attention when she wore a cream wool dress by Gibb to the premiere of the film The Boyfriend in If you make a woman feel good, she looks good automatically.

      The Independent. Archived from the original on 31 October Retrieved 16 January

    13. ^" evening dress worn by Twiggy, designed by Bill Gibb". Victoria & Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 3 August Retrieved 13 January
    14. ^ abcMenkes, Suzy (24 November ).

      "Bill Gibb: A bittersweet story of a forgotten designer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 December Retrieved 13 January

    15. ^"An Afternoon with Rayne Shoes". . Fashion and Textile Museum. Archived from the original on 12 June Retrieved 1 June
    16. ^ abcde"Frock prince".

      The Scotsman. 31 August Archived from the original on 24 September Retrieved 16 January

    17. ^Moore, Jackie (21 March ). "Bill Gibb's Bronze Age".

      Bill gibb wikipedia wife: His mood was romantic and far out: the effects often larger than life and always unmistakably his own. He returned to the UK and formed his own company, where he fashioned haute couture that was to have a great influence on British late 20th century design. He was educated at Fraserburgh Academy and trained at St. If you have found this information useful please consider making a donation to help maintain and improve this resource.

      The Glasgow Herald. Archived from the original on 6 December Retrieved 16 January

    18. ^Rew, Christine. "Bill Gibb"(PDF). DATS (Dress and Textile Specialists) Journal, April . DATS. Retrieved 16 January [permanent dead link&#;]
    19. ^ abWebster, Jack (12 January ).

      "Untitled obituary for Bill Gibb". The Glasgow Herald. Archived from the original on 17 May Retrieved 16 January

    20. ^"Scottish Fashion Designer Dies at 44". Associated Press News. 3 January Archived from the original on 18 May Retrieved 16 January
    21. ^Garner, Claire (26 November ).

      "Arts suffer most as Aids rages on". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 December Retrieved 16 January

    22. ^McGlone, Jackie (14 October ). "Back in vogue – Bill Gibb". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 25 June Retrieved 25 June
    23. ^"'Bill Gibb: A Personal Journey' until October in Bath".

      Culture Retrieved 7 January

    24. ^Lack, Jessica (1 November ). "Exhibition preview: Billy: Bill Gibb's Moment in Time, London". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 May Retrieved 7 January
    25. ^"Bill Gibb – Fashion gallery at the Fraserburgh Heritage Centre".

      Bill gibb wikipedia biography A brief period of financial support followed, but it is doubtful whether he enjoyed the restrictions and deadlines implicit in such an arrangement. His clothing was roundly applauded, with critics dubbing him the "the master of the decorative," praising his "simply cut, richly colored knitted suits and throws," and what was characterized as his "fairytale exercises in the baroque, the beaded, and the burnished. More info Bill Martin, Jr.

      Fraserburgh Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 23 January Retrieved 7 January

    26. ^"Bill Gibb in the collection of the V&A". Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 27 May Retrieved 7 January
    27. ^"Bill Gibb in the Manchester Galleries collections".

      Bill gibb wikipedia death Email Required Name Required Website. These included shoe designs for the high-end manufacturer Rayne as well as knits in acrylic fabrics with the Leicestershire manufacturer Annette Carol. Woollen knitwear, in collaboration with Fassett, featured massively and is what he is most famed for. The mids saw a brief recovery and, with a renewed collaboration with the knitwear designer Kaffe Fassett, Gibb showed a collection at the London Fashion Week in

      Manchester Art Gallery. Archived from the original on 24 May Retrieved 21 September

    28. ^"Fashion in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool". National Museums Liverpool. Archived from the original on 5 September Retrieved 21 September
    29. ^"Suit Bill Gibb (British, –)". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 18 May Retrieved 7 January

    Further reading

    • Bill Gibb&#;: a tribute to the fashion designer of the 70s.

      City of Aberdeen, City Arts Department.

      Bill gibb biography More info Bilk, Acker. Start Shopping. Bill of Rights in Modern Application.

      ISBN&#;.

    • Webb, Iain R. (). Bill Gibb&#;: fashion and fantasy. London: V&A. ISBN&#;.