Fashion designer Dame Mary Quant famous for pioneering mini skirt in the 60s dies aged 93

Tributes have been paid to the fashion designer who was famous for pioneering the mini skirt in the Swinging Sixties.
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Sixties style icon and fashion designer Dame Mary Quant has died aged 93, her family have said. The designer, famed for being a pioneer of the mini skirt and hot pants, passed away at home in Surrey on Thursday morning (April 13).

Dame Mary was credited with designing the mini skirt, which helped define the Swinging Sixties. She was born on February 11, 1930 in Blackheath, London, the daughter of two Welsh teachers.

Sky News said a statement had been released by her family, which said: "Dame Mary Quant died peacefully at home in Surrey, UK, this morning. Dame Mary, aged 93, was one of the most internationally recognised fashion designers of the 20th century and an outstanding innovator of the Swinging Sixties.

"She opened her first shop Bazaar in the Kings Road in 1955 and her far-sighted and creative talents quickly established a unique contribution to British fashion."

As well the mini-skirt, Quant designed berets for Kangol, which are now featured in her collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. A spokesperson said: “It’s impossible to overstate Quant’s contribution to fashion. She represented the joyful freedom of 1960s fashion, and provided a new role model for young women. Fashion today owes so much to her trailblazing vision.”

Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman also paid tribute, tweeting: "RIP Dame Mary Quant. A leader of fashion but also in female entrepreneurship - a visionary who was much more than a great haircut."

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