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The Spectacle of Fashion at Barkers Department Store 1928-1930

10.03.2018 by Susan Bishop //

Talk and Exhibition by Susan Bishop – Kensington Library 17th January 2019

In the 1920s Barkers department store Kensington, London, was a monument to Art Deco design and radical new thinking about retail as entertainment for the leisure classes.

The Spectacle of Fashion at Barkers Department Store 1928-1930
The Spectacle of Fashion at Barkers Department Store 1928-1930

Between the Wars, when the economic depression had put pressure on falling profits, Barkers’ pioneering chairman Sir Sydney Skinner placed fashion at the centre of the business to entice the new female shoppers through their doors.

Regular fashion shows were held there in their specially constructed Fashion Display Hall, featuring exclusive Paris fashions, modelled by society mannequins.

The exhibition and talk will tell the story about Barkers use of the 1920s super models who seduced customers, wearing Paris haute couture featuring brands such as:

  • Bernard
  • Chanel
  • Martial Armand
  • Molyneux
  • Barogue
  • Louise Boulangère
  • Lanvin
  • Lelong
  • Phillipe et Gaston
  • Patou
  • Premet

Barkers publicised their images through the use of new style fashion photography in the press, to set the store apart from its competitors. In the late 1920s archival research, reveals that Barker’s were by far the largest fashion advertiser in the London newspaper press, outstripping its closest rivals Selfridges and Harrods. This was likely due to the downturn in retail trading during this period.

The main source of primary information comes from a Press Book salvaged from a charity shop in Lewes, East Sussex, which will be on show at the library.

Although there is no way of researching the provenance of the Press Book it is thought to belong to Sir Sydney Skinner because he lived not far from Lewes in East Chailey, East Sussex.

The Press Book contains photographs, advertising, press cuttings, programmes and invitations relating to the opening of Barker’s new Fashion Display Hall and the fashion shows held there between 1928 and 1930.

The photographs, taken for publicity purposes, tell the story of a major investment in new fashion marketing.

  • Kensington Library, 6pm to 8.30pm 17th January 2019 – please book your free ticket through Eventbrite
  • Extra date added: Chelsea Library, 29th Jan – book through Eventbrite
  • Extra date added: Chelsea Library, 21st March – book through Eventbrite

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Susan Bishop developed the Creative Fashion Forum to showcase her work in fashion, costume design and fashion curation, which also includes guest film and exhibition reviews. Read more

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About

Susan Bishop developed the Creative Fashion Forum to showcase her work in fashion, costume design and fashion curation, which also includes guest film and exhibition reviews.

Latest Articles

  • Barbie – a Feminist Icon? She Rebel Radio Podcast
  • Ethical and Sustainable Fashion
  • Susan’s Vintage Tour

Connect

  • E-mail
  • Pinterest

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