BodyMap

BodyMap (also sometimes written as Bodymap or Body Map) was an influential British fashion label of the 1980s, renowned for its layered and innovatively structured shapes, distinctive prints and groundbreaking fashion shows.

During the post-Punk and New Romantic early to mid '80s, when street and club styles dominated the British fashion scene, BodyMap was described by the Chicago Tribune as: "perhaps the hottest, most visually arresting company in Britain's design renaissance".[1]

In 1986, Suzy Menkes noted in The Times that although some of its designs were too extreme to sell well, it was highly influential: "[Bodymap's] ideas on body conscious dressing were freely taken up and absorbed into mainstream fashion".[2]

In a 2010 retrospective in Dazed Digital, Al Mulhall said it remains: "a reference point in the world of ready-to-wear".[3]

History

BodyMap was founded by Stevie Stewart and David Holah in 1982, both fashion graduates of

Catwalk shows

One of BodyMap's most distinctive (and publicity generating) elements was its catwalk shows, which included outfit changes on the side of the runway in view of the audience and the designers' mothers acting as models. The 1985 show for Barbie Takes a Trip Around Nature's Cosmic Curves – featuring cross-dressing models of all ages and sizes, latex wigs and exposed flesh – was reported to have left American buyers shocked.[3][6] A contemporaneous U.S. newspaper report of a BodyMap fashion show in 1985 concluded that: "Some perceived in it a vaguely perverted tone that, although not downright sado-masochistic, was definitely kinky".[1]

The excitement surrounding its shows was added to by the celebrities who appeared on the catwalk, including Boy George, Helen Terry, Marilyn, Leigh Bowery and Michael Clark. Stewart and Holah were to reciprocate by designing costumes for Clark's 1986 ballet No Fire Escape in Hell.[1][4] A 1984 review in The New York Times said the atmosphere at the catwalk show was: "as bizarre as any rock star's video", also noting that the arrival of Boy George and Marilyn caused a similar stir in London to Princess Caroline of Monaco arriving at Dior in Paris.[10]

The label's publicity imagery was largely generated in-house and BodyMap collaborated with up-and-coming photographers, notably Mario Testino and David LaChapelle.[5]

Expansion

Bodymap's B-basic (diffusion) line helped to make the range more widely affordable. By 1985, it had expanded into men's and women's collections, Red Label, a B line of childrenswear and swimwear. Unable to expand the brand and attract enough financial backers, the company had begun to struggle by 1986. That year, it was reported in The Times that it had gone into liquidation, despite international acclaim and substantial orders on its books. Its last fashion show was in March that year.[2] It continued to sell its B-basic line via the stall on Camden Market into the '90s.[4][6] Most accounts place the brand's demise around 1991, although it still had a loyal following and talk of a revival – with licensing in Japan and a range for Ministry of Sound – continued for another few years.[6][11]

type	Private company
traded as	BodyMap
foundation	London, England (1982)
founder	David Holah, Stevie Stewart
location city	London
location country	England
industry	Fashion
dissolved	1990s

History

Catwalk shows

Expansion

Later careers

Popular culture and retrospectives

Awards

External sources

References