Jeff Banks
Jeff Banks | |
|---|---|
 Banks in 2013 | |
| Born | 17 March 1943 Ebbw Vale,Wales |
| Label | Jeff Banks |
Jeff BanksCBEPPCSD (bornJeffrey Tatham-Banks,17 March 1943) is a Welsh fashion designer of men's and women's clothing, jewellery, and home furnishings. Born inEbbw Vale,Wales, Banks co-founded the fashion chain Warehouse in the late 1970s. He later created and presented the television programmeThe Clothes Show,broadcast onBBC Onefrom 1986 to 2000.
Biography
[edit]Banks was born in theMonmouthshirevalleys ofSouth Wales,atEbbw Vale.His sheet metal worker father left his mother when Banks was eight, and she consequently decided to move to London.[1]
He was offered a scholarship to independentpublic schoolSt Dunstan's College,inCatford,south London, but his mother could not afford the uniform. He went toBrockley County Grammar Schoolinstead, but still without a uniform. In order to afford a uniform he set up his own business buying paraffin at the bottom of the hill, then pushing it up in an old pram, and selling it for a penny more at the top of the hill. By 13 he was employing a man to drive a lorry-based tanker, and at 15 he sold the business.[1]
Encouraged by a teacher to study art and become a painter, he realised his art skills were limited during his first year at London'sCamberwell School of Art,and so transferred to studying interior design and latterly textiles atSaint Martin's School of Art,and then fashion atNew York'sParsons The New School for Design.[2]
Banks holds honorary degrees from theUniversity of Lancaster,University of East London,Newcastle University,University College for the Creative Arts,[3]and theUniversity of Westminster,and is a Doctor of Arts.[2]
He was awarded the Minerva Medal by the Chartered Society of Designers in 1994 and was the Society's President from 2001 to 2003.[citation needed]
In 2009 Banks was appointed as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in theQueen's Birthday Honours.[4]
Career
[edit]In 1964, with money saved from the paraffin business and from his father mortgaging his own home, Banks opened the boutiqueClobberin London,[1]which carried his own designs along with other designers' work. It proved such a success that in 1969, he launched his own fashion label.
In 1975 he opened the first standalone Jeff Banks shop in London, as well as retail outlets in twenty-two department stores, includingHarrodsandHarvey Nichols.
In the late 1970s, he co-launched the fashion chainWarehouse,as well as continuing to work as a freelance designer. After it was taken over by retail chainSears,he wassackedfor being disruptive in board meetings – which he never regrets.[1]In 1979 and 1981 Banks becameBritish Designer of the Year,and in 1980 he was made "British Coat Designer of the Year".[2]During the mid-to late 1980s, he designed a large proportion of the stage-clothes for musicianHoward Jones.[citation needed]
Banks's standing as a commercial force in retail fashion led to his presenting over 320 episodes ofThe Clothes Show,theBBC's long-running fashion show, alongsideSelina ScottandCaryn Franklin.The show's success in often gaining over 10 million viewers,[5]led in 1989 to the first "Clothes Show Live" event at theNECBirmingham,as well as the launch of the Clothes Show magazine.
Having been asked to create corporate design wear for many organisations Jeff Banks created his own corporate clothing company in 1996. Incorporatewear is now one of the largest companies in the United Kingdom producing corporate clothing. With partners Rob Pollock and Brian Lamb the company produces a wide range of clothing for various types of companies.[citation needed]
In 2000, he signed a deal to design clothes for the UK chainSainsbury's.The installation of Jeff Banks stores within Sainsbury's outlets proved successful, but a dispute led to the early termination of his contract. The resulting lawsuit was resolved with Sainsbury's agreeing to pay a reported settlement of £1 million, plus a box of truffles every week.[6]
In April 2007, Banks mockedKate Moss's design range forTop Shop,saying: "Can Kate sharpen a pencil, do an impression of a cow or draw a matchstick man? I would put money on it, though not very much. I'll bet [Kate Moss] just grabbed one of her manyPradabags, rifled through her wardrobe... and turned up at Topshop's head office inOxford Streetfor a quick hour's briefing with the in-house designers and buying staff. "[7]
Banks has continued to work as a designer with designs for theGuide Association,[8]theEngland football team,and forLondon's 2012 Olympicsbid, which were modelled at the launch bySir Bobby Charlton,Sir Steve RedgraveandDenise Lewis.[9]Banks continues to be heavily involved in corporate clothing and uniform. In May 2010 he offered to design the match-day 'walk-on' suits for the cash-strappedPortsmouth F.C.team for their FA Cup final appearance.
Banks's own fashion design influences areHardy Amies,Giorgio ArmaniandAlice Temperley.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Banks has been married twice: firstly to the 1960s pop starSandie Shaw(1968–1978), (with whom he has one daughter), and subsequently toSue Mann,a model and film makeup artist.
Banks is a lifelong member of Catford Cycling Club, and a sponsor of their racing teamCatfordCC Equipe/Banks,[10]an amateur under-23 squad having British National 'Elite' team status.[11][12]
Banks accepted the honorary position as Lord Lieutenant of the Ben Gibbons charitable Society of Farnham in March 2024.
References
[edit]- ^abcdeMy Way: Fashion designer Jeff Banks on how to get on at work[dead link]The Independent – 19 July 2007
- ^abc"Jeff Banks bio".Archived from the original on 21 October 2007.Retrieved1 August2013.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)BBC Wales Arts & Entertainment. Archived 20 October 2007. - ^"Jeff Banks – Fashion Designer".University of the Creative Arts. Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2007.Retrieved17 August2007.
- ^Honours for Lee, Faldo and DeliaBBC News 12 June 2009
- ^Meet Jeff BanksArchived30 September 2007 at theWayback MachineUKTV Style – Retrieved 17 August 2007
- ^"Jeff Banks Enterprise Challenge: About Jeff".University of York. Archived fromthe originalon 20 May 2007.Retrieved17 August2007.
- ^Herbert, Ian –Designer wars as Banks savages Topshop KateArchived7 September 2007 at theWayback MachineThe Independent– 25 April 2007
- ^100 Years of Girl GuidesBBC –broadcast 7 February 2010
- ^London 2012 cutting a dash with Jeff Banks for the final line in SingaporeArchived8 August 2007 at theWayback MachineLondon 2012 – 22 June 2005
- ^Catford Cycling Club, Banks Team pageArchived24 March 2014 at theWayback MachineRetrieved 22 May 2014
- ^Bull, Nick (8 January 2014)."Jeff Banks backs Catford CC at a claimed £250,000 for 2014".Cycling Weekly.Retrieved21 April2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^British Cycling Elite National TeamsBritish Cycling Org, retrieved 22 May 2014
