Works of: Katharine Hamnett CBE

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Katharine Hamnett CBE

Katharine Hamnett was born on 16 August, 1947. She studied fashion at Saint Martins in the late 1960s.

With a college friend, Anne Buck, she founded Tuttabankem (a half-baked anagram of their surnames) which was a rapid success, selling to Browns and Saks. They dressed Liz Taylor and Marsha Hunt.

She founded the Katharine E. Hamnett clothes label in 1979.

An innovator from the start, she invented stonewashing, distressed and stretched denim, and caused a stir with her protest T-shirts. She also promoted the use of organic cotton and ethical manufacturing in the fashion industry.

Outside her own label, in 1984 Hamnett was involved in the founding of Tanya Sarne's Ghost label.

In 1983, Katharine launched her first slogan t-shirts including ‘Choose Life’, ‘Preserve the Rainforests’ and ’Save the Whales.’ When Katharine wore the ‘58% DON’T WANT PERISHING’ t-shirt to Downing Street to meet Margaret Thatcher, her role as a pioneer of ethical, environmental and political fashion was set.

Hamnett won the first ever British Fashion Awards, and in 1996, was voted Britain's favourite designer by readers of Cosmopolitan. Hamnett was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours, for services to the fashion industry.

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