Gerald McCann: The Rediscovery of a Fashion Designer

Abstract

This article was prompted by the discovery of the archive of international fashion designer Gerald McCann, hidden in a garage in Fleetwood, Lancashire, UK. The contents of the archive revealed a treasure trove of press cuttings, photographs, fashion drawings and interviews as well as designs and costings from a once well-known designer, whose significance to the global fashion industry is sparsely documented and largely forgotten. The article reveals the history of the designer, who graduated from the Royal College of Art in London in the 1950s, during the tenure of Professor Madge Garland, and forged a career at the heart of ‘Swinging London’ in the 1960s. He was lured to the USA in the 1970s, returning to the UK in the 1990s as a designer for House of Fraser and Harrods. The research offers the first significant assessment of McCann's position in global fashion and the value and relevance of his legacy, as well as exploring the rationale for documenting the history of forgotten fashion designers.