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Jasper Conran

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Jasper Conran OBE
Conran in 2004
Born (1959-12-12) 12 December 1959 (age 64)
NationalityBritish
OccupationFashion designer

Jasper Alexander Thirlby Conran OBE (born 12 December 1959) is an English designer. He has worked on collections of womenswear and for the home, as well as productions for the stage in ballet, opera and theatre.

Early life

He is the second son of Sir Terence Conran, a designer, and Shirley Conran, an author; his parents divorced when he was two years of age.[1][2] He was educated at Port Regis School and Bryanston School in the 1970s; he also studied at the Parsons School of Art and Design[3] in New York, United States (US).

Professional career

Conran's first collection was for Henri Bendel in New York City. In 1978, aged 19, Conran designed his first womenswear collection under his own name. The following year he was elected to be part of the London Designer collections. Conran designed his first menswear collection in 1985. Conran designed the wedding dress of Lady Sarah Chatto (formerly Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones) in 1994.[4] He also designed clothes for Diana, Princess of Wales.[1]

In 1999, he began designing a signature range of stemware for Stuart Crystal[5] and later for Waterford Crystal. In 2001, he launched a fine bone china tableware collection for Wedgwood.[6]

In 1996, Conran launched a womenswear range for the Debenhams[7] chain of department stores in the UK. He has subsequently designed women's accessories, lingerie, hosiery, menswear, men's accessories, childrenswear, and homeware for the company.

Conran has released furnishing, fabric and wallpaper collections for Designers Guild,[8] as well as a range of signature fragrances and luggage.[9]

In 2004, Conran designed and launched a three-range fireplace collection for Chesney's. He launched the Jasper Conran Optical in 2008.[10]

Conran is the chairman and chief executive of Jasper Conran Holdings Ltd. Conran was appointed Creative Director of The Conran Shop in 2011, and, in 2012, Conran was appointed as the chairman[11] where he spent three years conceiving and implementing a strategy to reinvigorate and reposition the business. In March 2014, Conran was appointed Chairman of Conran Holdings Ltd[12],stepping down in 2015.

Conran published his first book, Jasper Conran Country in 2010. The 300-page photographic essay was completed during a year of exploration around the English countryside.[13]

In 2016 Conran opened his first hotel in the heart of the Medina in Marrakech, L'Hotel Marrakech. In April 2017 L'Hôtel Marrakech was listed as 1 of 75 in the Hot List 2017: Best New Hotels in the World, Condé Nast Traveler USA [14]

Conran has served several times on the British Fashion Council, and is a Visiting Professor at the University of the Arts London.

Performing arts

Throughout his career, Conran has pursued his passion for the performing arts—he has designed costumes and sets for fourteen ballet, opera and theatre productions.

Conran collaborated with David Bintley on the Royal Ballet's production of Tombeaux, held at Covent Garden, and a series of productions by the Birmingham Royal Ballet, including The Nutcracker Sweeties, Brahms/Handel Variations, The Shakespeare Suite and Arthur Part I & II. He also designed the set and costumes for Bintley's The Compleat Consort, produced for the Bayerisches Staatsballett in Munich, Germany.

Other works include the production of My Fair Lady directed by Simon Callow,[15] Donzetti's opera Maria Stuarda for ENO and Galina Samsova's productions of Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty for the Scottish Ballet.

In 1991, Conran won the Laurence Olivier Award for Costume Design for Jean Anouilh's The Rehearsal at the Almeida Theatre in London, UK.

Private life

Conran is gay[16] and, in 2009, he was ranked number 66 in the annual Pink List of 100 influential gay and lesbian people in Britain, published by The Independent on Sunday.[17] In 2010, this list described him as a "National Treasure".[18] In December 2015, he married Irish artist and performer Oisin Byrne.[19]

Awards

Bibliography

  • Country. Conran Octopus, 2010. ISBN 1-84091-518-8

References

  1. ^ a b Nikkhah, Roya (9 January 2011). "Jasper Conran: I would make Kate Middleton a very vision of English style'". The Sunday Telegraph. London. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  2. ^ Walker, Tim (21 September 2012). "Terence Conran surprises Jasper Conran by making him his heir". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  3. ^ Jasper Conran (9 January 2011). "Jasper Conran: I would make Kate Middleton a very vision of English style'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  4. ^ Sinha, Barnali Pal (9 May 2016). "Queen Elizabeth II's Niece, Lady Sarah Chatto: A Look Into Her Life". IB Times. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Jasper Conran designs Stuart Crystal". The Irish Independent. 4 May 1999. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  6. ^ Grant Ringshaw (4 March 2001). "Waterford Wedgwood adds Westwood". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  7. ^ Peter Koenig (14 December 1997). "Debenhams gets a brand new image". Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  8. ^ Iain R Webb (14 July 2008). "Jasper Conran: Designs for life". Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  9. ^ "The sweet smell of success". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 December 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  10. ^ "Jasper Conran has gone to Specsavers". Optician. Reed Business Information Limited. 1 February 2008. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Nicola Harrison (9 July 2012). "Jasper Conran appointed chairman of Conran Shop". RetailWeek. EMAP Ltd. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  12. ^ Angus Montgomery (10 March 2014). "Sir Terence Conran hands over design empire to son Jasper". Design Week.
  13. ^ "Jasper Conran swaps the catwalk for the country with his stunning first book". The Book Show (skyARTS1). Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  14. ^ http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-04-20/hot-list-2015-world-s-best-new-hotels/59
  15. ^ JasperConranvideo (23 August 2010). "Jasper Conran costume design for My Fair Lady". YouTube. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  16. ^ Campbell, Denis; "Gays who shape our new Britain" The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2006
  17. ^ "The Pink List 2007: The IoS annual celebration of the great and the gay". The Independent on Sunday. 6 May 2007. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "The Pink List 2010" The Independent on Sunday
  19. ^ Joe Williams (15 December 2015). "Fashion designer Jasper Conran marries boyfriend, ends 13-year feud with mother". Pink News. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  20. ^ a b "Jasper Conran" (PDF). London Fashion Week 2012. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "HW Minutes 2004" (PDF).
  22. ^ Tim Walker (20 March 2008). "Picture Post: The Palace catwalk, 19.03.08". The Independent. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  23. ^ "Innovation & Design Awards 2011: the winners" Condé Nast Traveller

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