Paul Gorman

Chelsea Space

Malcolm McLaren: Ten years after

//The post featured a grab of Pennie Smith’s portrait for Nick Kent’s The Politics Of Flash article in an April 1974 issue of the NME//

Ten years ago I posted this on The Look blog upon returning home from a gathering at London gallery Chelsea Space.

The venue was fitting; Chelsea Space is within the grounds of Chelsea College of Arts which was in Manresa Street off the King’s Road until a few years back. This was among the arts institutions attended by the student painter Malcolm Edwards in and around London in the 1960s.

Our friend the writer Chris Salewicz broke the news; among the company was guitarist Mick Jones, whose life, like many of us, had been improved by connection with McLaren.

Naturally, Jones expressed sorrow, and his immediate response to the news of McLaren’s passing struck me hard. ‘We’ll never hear Malcolm’s latest thoughts again,’ said Jones. ‘All those brilliant, wild ideas which seemed to pour out of him on a daily basis, that’s over. And that’s really sad.’

My Design London in the Evening Standard

I am the subject of the My Design London page in today’s edition of the capital’s Evening Standard newspaper.

In Liz Hoggard’s piece, I talk about some of the places which help make this the greatest city in the world, from our local patisserie WA Cafe and picture framers For Art’s Sake to Mayfair jewellers/art space Belmacz, Hackney Road’s Two Columbia Road and M. Goldstein and the galleries Richard Saltoun and Chelsea Space.

Copies of the Standard are available free to commuters on Greater London’s transport system. The piece will be posted on the Standard’s site soon.

Sheila Rock: Early fashion styling captured the development of British menswear in the 70s

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//Phil Lynott, styling Sheila Rock, photography Mick Rock, Club International, October 1973//
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//The Gentlemen At Number Ten, styling Sheila Rock, photography David Parkinson, Club International, December 1973//

To celebrate the opening next week of a new exhibition of work by photographer Sheila Rock, here is a selection of her early fashion styling.

Continue reading Sheila Rock: Early fashion styling captured the development of British menswear in the 70s

Lloyd Johnson exhibition install Day 5: Record sleeves, magazines + photography

Lloyd Johnson exhibition install: Day 5

Album sleeves, photography, magazines and a variety of press cuttings and ephemera underline the widespread recognition for Lloyd Johnson’s designs over the decades. Lloyd paid particular attention to them in the assemblage of the contents of the table-top vitrines and a wall collage on the fifth day of the exhibition installation just before the weekend.

Continue reading Lloyd Johnson exhibition install Day 5: Record sleeves, magazines + photography

Lloyd Johnson exhibition install day 3: Pop art prints

Lloyd Johnson exhibition install: Day 3

Now the exhibition is getting to the nitty-gritty; yesterday Lloyd paid particular attention to the area dedicated to his businesses Cockell & Johnson and Johnson & Johnson, which produced peacock dandy and pop art fashion between 1968 and 1974 in Kensington  Market. Above are the print shirts which will be displayed, below some of the detail – on the left a stockinged leg print designed by Jane Wentworth (then Wealleans), who has contributed to my Tommy Roberts book.

Continue reading Lloyd Johnson exhibition install day 3: Pop art prints

Lloyd Johnson exhibition install day 1: Kensington Market shop frontage recreated

Lloyd Johnson exhibition install: Day 1.

The installation of the the Lloyd Johnson exhibition got off to a flying start yesterday.

The key piece – a reconstruction of the 80s frontage of Johnson’s Kensington Market boutique – was made and put in place by the crack team headed by Rod Holt at Mojo Creative Productions.

“I had the three pieces of glass signage in storage,” says Johnson. “I gave those to Rod with a photograph from back in the day and he and his guys pulled off a major triumph by putting it together.”

Johnny "Mono" Graham, Johnson's Kensington Market, 80s.
Original fascia: Johnny "Mono" Graham outside Johnson's Kensington Market 1980s. Photographer unknown.

Continue reading Lloyd Johnson exhibition install day 1: Kensington Market shop frontage recreated

Lloyd Johnson: The Modern Outfitter – exhibition in the New Year

Lloyd Johnson: The Modern Outfitter – the exhibition about one of the greatest contributors to British street fashion and visual culture of recent times – is at London gallery Chelsea Space in the New Year, from January 24 to March 3.

The show will be centred on Johnson’s archive of garments, artwork, fabrics, ephemera and personal effects, augmented by contributions from customers and collectors from Tokyo to Sydney to LA.

For a taster here’s a trio of clips featuring Johnson’s designs:

Tom Waits’ boots (from 2.50):

Iggy’s jacket on The Tube:

George Michael’s jacket + boots:

More info on Lloyd Johnson The Modern Outfitter here.