John Cavanagh (designer)
| John Cavanagh | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
John Bryan Cavanagh September 28, 1914 County Mayo, Ireland |
| Died | 24 March 2003 (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Notable credit(s) | Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers |
John Cavanagh (1914-2003) was a successful Irish London-based couturier of the 1950s and 1960s. A member of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers (IncSoc), his style has been described as reflecting Parisian chic. He designed the wedding dresses for the Duchess of Kent in 1961 and for Princess Alexandra in 1963.
John Cavanagh strongly identified as Irish, telling reporters that he was born in County Mayo, although his obituary in The Times states he was born in London. He was educated at St Paul's School.
In 1932 Cavanagh was employed as a secretary for the couturier Edward Molyneux, first in London, and then in Paris. Molyneux insisted that Cavanagh learn how to draw before employing him. Through trial and error, Cavanagh rose to become supervisor of Molyneux's London branch, before becoming his personal assistant in Paris, where he learned how the haute couture business worked. In 1940, after war broke out, Cavanagh left Molyneux to join the British Army Intelligence Corps, where he was responsible for military intelligence and security. He was demobbed in 1946, and the following year became a design assistant for Pierre Balmain, for whom he worked until 1952.
In 1952, Cavanagh launched his eponymous fashion house, John Cavanagh, at 26 Curzon Street, London. He joined IncSoc in the same year and after just one collection – unheard of at the time since designers normally had to present at least four fashion collections before being considered for election.
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