Flocked + tiger-striped: The Paradise Garage Ford Mustang
//Trevor Myles, Mustang and 430 King's Road, late summer 1971. Photo: Michael Roberts//
//From Michael Roberts' article Men & Their Machines, Club, October 1971//
Trevor Myles’ decision to incorporate a flocked and tiger-striped 1966 Ford Mustang as part of his retail space Paradise Garage naturally attracted a lot of attention during the brief existence of this unusual fashion outlet at 430 King’s Road in Chelsea’s World’s End in 1971.
//The '66 Mustang in all its glory. Photos: Electric Colour Company archive courtesy Andrew Greaves//
The American car was flocked by design team Electric Colour Company, the fine arts graduates based in London’s East End whose advertising proclaimed specialisation in “furniture, lighting, environments, neon, autos & bikes, speciality finishes, metal flake, body moulding”.
Andrew Greaves, Jeffrey Pine, David Smith and Rod Stokes had previously worked with Myles and his partner Tommy Roberts on the first Mr Freedom, which was situated at 430 King’s Road between September 1969 and December 1970.
//Exterior, ECC's studio, Phipp Street, Hackney, east London, 1969. Photo: Electric Colour Company archive courtesy Andrew Greaves//
//ECC studio interior 1969. Photo: Electric Colour Company archive courtesy Andrew Greaves//
//ECC advert, Time Out, 1970//
The car was also featured in Design and Hot Car.
//From Hot Car, September 1971. Electric Colour Company archive courtesy Andrew Greaves//
//From Design, September 1971//
There is a chapter on Paradise Garage in THE LOOK; I also wrote about Paradise Garage on THE LOOK blog in 2008 here.
See here for my 2009 history of Electric Colour Company .
Visit ECC’s website here.
ECC’s work with Tommy Roberts at Mr Freedom and also at City Lights Studio is covered in my book Mr Freedom – Tommy Roberts: British Design Hero.