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 miniature village in Aberdeenshire in Scotland to George and Jessie (née Reid) Gibb,^[2] the eldest of their seven children.

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

Founded: Belinda Bellville founded own company,joined by designer David Sassoon to form Bellville Sassoon, ; Bellville retired from business, ; Bellville Sassoon-Lorcan Mullany founded, I like clothes that flatter a woman and are sexy; if a woman feels nice in the clothes I plan, she looks good. I like designing cocktail and eveningwear with my codesigners Lorcan Mullany and George Sharp. We work together as a team to form ready-to-wear dresses, sometimes in a romantic mood, sometimes whimsical or sexy … I love colour and beautiful fabrics.

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 use for art school in London, and so, in , Gibb went to Saint Martin's University of Art.^[4] After graduating highest 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 secure 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 planned 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 layout 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 matching year, Harrods opened a consecrated 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 movie première of The Boy Friend drew a great deal of media attention.^[4]^[5]^[9]

Gibb presented his first collection under his own mention 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 create 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 draw 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 bond with Kaffe Fassett, who remained a close friend and colleague to the end.^[11]

At the period 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 operate 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

^ ^a^b"Collection of fashion drawings by Bill Gibb, Aberdeen Art Gallery. Art Funded in ". The Art Fund. Archived from the first on 20 July Retrieved 7 January
^ ^a^b"Ruffling fashion feathers: Gray's students donate outfit inspired by North-east designer to Aberdeen Art Gallery".
In this series of blog posts, Circa Vintage takes a deep dive into the history of some of our favourite fashion designers. Today, it's the turn of intimate British designer Bill Gibb. I used to draw romantic characters in costume. After graduating uppermost 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.
Robert Gordon University. Archived from the original on 15 October Retrieved 7 January
^"Geordie and Jessie Gibb celebrate 65 happy years". Buchan Observer. Archived from the original on 23 September Retrieved 23 September
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^g^hⁱ^j^k^l"Higher Still Resource: Bill Gibb London"(PDF).

Education Scotland. Archived from the original(PDF) on 23 September Retrieved 7 January
^ ^a^b^cSells, Emma.
Bill Gibb, who belonged to a large family of dairy farmers from New Pitsligo near Fraserburgh, is still regarded as one of the most innovative and influential fashion designers of his time who.
"Designers to Know: Bill Gibb". ELLE UK. Archived from the unique on 2 October Retrieved 16 January
^ ^a^b"Notable People from Fraserburgh". Visit Archived from the original on 3 October Retrieved 13 January
^ ^a^bWood, Holly (19 September ).

"50 Wonderful BRITISH FASHION MOMENTS". The Independent. Archived from the original on 31 October Retrieved 16 January
^" evening dress worn by Twiggy, designed by Bill Gibb". Victoria & Albert Museum.

Archived from the original on 3 August Retrieved 13 January
^ ^a^b^cMenkes, 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
^"An Afternoon with Rayne Shoes". . Fashion and Textile Museum. Archived from the original on 12 June Retrieved 1 June
^ ^a^b^c^d^e"Frock prince".

The Scotsman. 31 August Archived from the original on 24 September Retrieved 16 January
^Moore, Jackie (21 March ). "Bill Gibb's Bronze Age". The Glasgow Herald. Archived from the original on 6 December Retrieved 16 January
^Rew, Christine.

"Bill Gibb"(PDF). DATS (Dress and Textile Specialists) Journal, April .
He then left his degree course at the Royal College of Art to start up in fashion. After a three-month explore tour of New York with his then-boyfriend Kaffe Fassett who is best known as a knitwear designer and textile artistGibb returned to London in to set up the Alice Paul boutique in Kensington with three of his friends. Gibb then created clothes for Baccarat another boutiqueincluding a pleated tartan skirt and blue and white polka dot blouse voted Dress of the Year in This outfit was combined with a coordinated knitted waistcoat by Fassett, who became a lifelong friend and associate.
DATS. Retrieved 16 January ^{[permanent dead link&#;]}
^ ^a^bWebster, Jack (12 January ). "Untitled obituary for Bill Gibb". The Glasgow Herald.

Archived from the first on 17 May Retrieved 16 January
^"Scottish Fashion Designer Dies at 44". Associated Press News. 3 January Archived from the original on 18 May Retrieved 16 January
^Garner, Claire (26 November ).
Bill Gibb, Fashion and Fantasy. Crowned ‘Designer of the Year’ by Vogue in , Bill Gibb (), barely out of college two years and yet to launch his eponymous line, was to change into a major name in fashion history. Gibb’s career was prolific, and truly visionary at its finest, but sadly short-lived.
"Arts suffer most as Aids rages on". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 December Retrieved 16 January
^McGlone, Jackie (14 October ). "Back in vogue – Bill Gibb". The Scotsman. Archived from the unique on 25 June Retrieved 25 June
^"'Bill Gibb: A Personal Journey' until October in Bath".

Culture Retrieved 7 January
^Lack, Jessica (1 November ).
Gibb, Bill - Vintage Fashion Guild: William Elphinstone Gibb (23 January – 3 January ) was a Scottish fashion designer who became renowned in the s and 70s for his peculiar and flattering designs. [1] 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.
"Exhibition preview: Billy: Bill Gibb's Moment in Time, London". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 May Retrieved 7 January
^"Bill Gibb – Fashion gallery at the Fraserburgh Heritage Centre".

Fraserburgh Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 23 January Retrieved 7 January
^"Bill Gibb in the collection of the V&A". Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 27 May Retrieved 7 January
^"Bill Gibb in the Manchester Galleries collections".

Manchester Art Gallery. Archived from the original on 24 May Retrieved 21 September
^"Fashion in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool". National Museums Liverpool. Archived from the original on 5 September Retrieved 21 September
^"Suit Bill Gibb (British, –)".

Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the imaginative on 18 May Retrieved 7 January