MR FISH

Michael Fish, the man behind the brand Mr Fish, set a new standard for men’s tailoring in the 1960s. His designs were colourful, controversial and were as much referencing historical tailoring as they were forward-thinking. It quickly established a cult following consisting of the rock and pop aristocracy of London.

After working as both a stylist and an apprentice to a shirt maker he finally started making his own designs in 1965 and the following year the store opened on 17 Clifford Street in Mayfair in 1966.

In this image, between kipper ties and rails of colourful clothing is John Barry Sainsbury, who opened the Mr Fish shop together with Micheal Fish. The style was outrageous, flamboyant and often featured vivid prints, ruffles, lace and kaftans and dresses for men.

Micheal Fish was the man behind one of the most memorable outfits of the spirit of the Sixties, namely the white smock worn by Mick Jagger at the Rolling Stones free concert in Hyde Park on July 5th, 1969.

And for the album cover of ‘The man who sold the world’ from 1970, David Bowie wore a Mr Fish design.

Like many other popular brands of this time, Mr Fish, unfortunately, did not last very long. The style that was popular and dominant changed terribly quickly during this time, which often made the lifespan of these brands quite short. Another example was Hung on You which we covered in a past blog post.

And a Mr fish piece from our own collection. Pictured here is a cashmere knit with off-centre buttoning in orange and green with an almost strobing effect.