Margit Brandt
Encyclopedia
Margit Bjørløw Brandt was a Danish
fashion designer.
with the grand master of the time French fashion designer Pierre Balmain
. Her inventiveness and confident style won her recognition and in 1966 she continued her career in the couture house of Louis Feraud
on Rue du Fauborg Saint Honore. In 1966 she married Erik Brandt
, who was working with the French company Mendes
(owned by the nephew of the former French president Pierre Mendes France), which produced prêt-a-porter for Lanvin, Guy La Roche, Yves Saint Laurent and many others.
The marriage would be the catalyst for one of the most successful Scandinavian designer couples. The Brandts returned to Denmark shortly after they got married and in 1966 Margit introduced her own collection at the Copenhagen
Fashion Fair under the B-age label. In the eyes of her contemporaries this was a line of unprecedentedly short and close-fitting designs, but the collection immediately grabbed the interest of an otherwise neglected age group between teenagers and "genteel" ladies. B-age became the essence of fashion for the first generation of young women in Scandinavia.
Soon Margit and Erik were producing everything from ladies fashion to lingerie
, furs, sportswear, watches, personal care products, household articles and accessories. The trendsetting designs found their way to the showrooms of Harrods
, Bendels, Takashimaya, Saks and Bloomingdales, a wide network of own label stores sprung up across the world from London
, Paris
and Barcelona
to Tokyo
, San Francisco and New York
. Erik had a nose for branding and self promotion, one year the staff at the fashion fair were replaced by a red telephone with a direct line to head office. Buyers could simply call in their orders if they wanted to buy anything.
As jetsetters the couple developed an eccentric group of friends based in and around the famous New York club Studio 54
where they developed close friendships with the likes of Andy Warhol
, Mick Jagger
, David Bowie
, Diana Vreeland
and Truman Capote
.
In the early 1980s Margit and Erik Brandt announced they moved to New York permanently.
In 2005 again based in Denmark they have commenced designing and producing fashion clothes again.
In the book Fashion Genius of the World (1979) written by Serena Sinclair, Margit Brandt comes second after the British cult designer Mary Quant
.
Margit Brandt died at home with her family due to her chronic obstructive lung disease.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
fashion designer.
Biography
Margit Brandt graduated from Margretheskolen (1961–1964), Københavns Tilskærerakademi (1964), and completed an apprenticeship in tailoring. She started her international career in 1965 as an apprentice in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with the grand master of the time French fashion designer Pierre Balmain
Pierre Balmain
Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain was a French fashion designer. Known for sophistication and elegance, he once said that "dressmaking is the architecture of movement."...
. Her inventiveness and confident style won her recognition and in 1966 she continued her career in the couture house of Louis Feraud
Louis Feraud
Louis Féraud was a French fashion designer and artist.In 1950, Louis Féraud created his first "Maison de Couture" in Cannes and by 1955 had established a couture house in Paris on the Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré....
on Rue du Fauborg Saint Honore. In 1966 she married Erik Brandt
Erik Brandt
Erik Rud Brandt is a Danish fashion designer, by many considered the founder of Scandinavian fashion. In 1966 he married Margit Brandt and founded his own design company in Copenhagen with branches in Scandinavia, Switzerland, Canada, USA, Japan and Australia...
, who was working with the French company Mendes
Mendes
Mendes , the Greek name of the Ancient Egyptian city of Djedet, also known in Ancient Egypt as Per-Banebdjedet and Anpet, is known today as Tell El-Ruba ....
(owned by the nephew of the former French president Pierre Mendes France), which produced prêt-a-porter for Lanvin, Guy La Roche, Yves Saint Laurent and many others.
The marriage would be the catalyst for one of the most successful Scandinavian designer couples. The Brandts returned to Denmark shortly after they got married and in 1966 Margit introduced her own collection at the Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
Fashion Fair under the B-age label. In the eyes of her contemporaries this was a line of unprecedentedly short and close-fitting designs, but the collection immediately grabbed the interest of an otherwise neglected age group between teenagers and "genteel" ladies. B-age became the essence of fashion for the first generation of young women in Scandinavia.
Soon Margit and Erik were producing everything from ladies fashion to lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
, furs, sportswear, watches, personal care products, household articles and accessories. The trendsetting designs found their way to the showrooms of Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
, Bendels, Takashimaya, Saks and Bloomingdales, a wide network of own label stores sprung up across the world from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, San Francisco and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Erik had a nose for branding and self promotion, one year the staff at the fashion fair were replaced by a red telephone with a direct line to head office. Buyers could simply call in their orders if they wanted to buy anything.
As jetsetters the couple developed an eccentric group of friends based in and around the famous New York club Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
where they developed close friendships with the likes of Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland was a noted columnist and editor in the field of fashion. She worked for the fashion magazines Harper's Bazaar and Vogue and the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Born as Diana Dalziel, Vreeland was the eldest daughter of American socialite mother Emily Key Hoffman...
and Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
.
In the early 1980s Margit and Erik Brandt announced they moved to New York permanently.
In 2005 again based in Denmark they have commenced designing and producing fashion clothes again.
In the book Fashion Genius of the World (1979) written by Serena Sinclair, Margit Brandt comes second after the British cult designer Mary Quant
Mary Quant
Mary Quant OBE FCSD is a British] fashion designer and British fashion icon, who was instrumental in the mod fashion movement. She was one of the designers who took credit for inventing the miniskirt and hot pants. Born in Blackheath, London, to Welsh parents, Quant brought fun and fantasy to...
.
Margit Brandt died at home with her family due to her chronic obstructive lung disease.
Special mention and awards
- 1988: Margit designs the entry uniform of the Danish Olympic team.
- 1994: Margit Brandt’s 60’s designs are exhibited at Aarhus Women’s Museum in Denmark.
- 1997: Margit designs gala uniforms for the Royal Danish Airforce.
- 2006: The Danish fashion award “Guldknappen” (the golden button) is given to Margit
- 2007: The Danish Queen Margrete II awards Margit with the Cross of Dannebrog