One of the most influential figures in the 1960s fashion scene as the pioneer of the mini-skirt and hot pants, Dame Mary Quant is credited with bringing fashion to the masses with her sleek, clean designs and dynamic.

Fashion designer Mary Quant has died, her family has announced.

She was 93 years old and well known as a pioneer of miniskirts and shorts.

The Victoria & Albert Museum website says there is “no conclusive evidence” to say who first adopted a miniskirt look.

But for Dame Mary, it has become a hallmark of her style.

She was one of the most influential figures in the 1960s fashion scene and is credited with bringing fashion to the masses with her sleek, clean and dynamic designs.

A statement released on behalf of her family said: “Dame Mary Quant died peacefully at her home in Surrey, UK this morning.

“93-year-old Dame Mary was one of the most internationally recognized fashion designers of the 20th century and an outstanding innovator of the Swinging Sixties.

“She opened her first Bazaar shop on Kings Road in 1955 and her far-sighted and creative talents soon established a unique contribution to British fashion.”

Bazaar was one of the few stores in London to offer a radically different shopping experience – with loud music, free drinks and late opening hours.

Alexandra Shulman, former editor of British Vogue, paid tribute to Dame Mary by writing on Twitter: “RIP Dame Mary Quant. A leader in fashion but also in women’s entrepreneurship – a visionary who was so much more than a great haircut. “

The V&A Museum, which recently hosted an exhibition of Dame Mary’s designs, tweeted: “It is impossible to overstate Quant’s contribution to fashion.

“She represented the joyous freedom of 1960s fashion and offered a new role model for young women.

“Today’s fashion owes so much to his pioneering vision.”

Jenny Lister, curator of the Dame Mary Quant exhibition at the V&A, said the fashion designer “broke the barriers of snobbery and tradition” and “will always represent the joyful freedom of fashion in the 1960s”.

“With her unique sense of humor, style and determination to democratize and share the fun and creativity of her designs, she provided a new kind of role model for young women, creating space for them to be themselves. themselves,” she said.

“She helped define Britain’s global identity as a center of streetstyle and innovation, with iconic looks such as PVC raincoats, colorful tights and the fine ribbed jumper.”

Dame Mary was the daughter of two Welsh teachers but was born in Blackheath, London, in 1930.

She graduated in the 1950s with a degree in art education from Goldsmiths College, where she met her husband Alexander Plunket Greene, who later helped establish her brand.

She was married to him until his death in 1990. The couple had a son, Orlando, born in 1970.

In 2014, she was named a Dame for Services to British Fashion in the Queen’s New Year’s Honors List.

In the same year, Dame Mary, who named the miniskirt after her favorite brand of car, recalled her “sense of freedom and liberation”.

She said: “It was the girls of King’s Road who invented the mini. I made clothes that let you run and dance and we made them to the length the customer wanted.

“I wore them very short and customers said ‘shorter, shorter’.”

Dame Mary also revolutionized the high street with women’s trousers, as well as accessories, tights and make-up, while using the daisy-brand design that has become synonymous with her designs.

Her clothes were popularized by models Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton and Pattie Boyd, and singer Cilla Black.