Lynne Franks
| Lynne Franks | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
16 April 1948 London |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Started Lynne Franks PR, Campaigner on Women's Issues, Founder of SEED |
| Children |
Josh Howie, Jess Catto |
Lynne Franks (born 16 April 1948) founded one of the UK’s best-known public relations consultancies in the early 1970s and is currently an advocate, communications strategist, writer and spokeswoman on women’s issues, sustainability and consumer lifestyles.
Franks was born and raised in North London in 1948. The daughter of a Jewish butcher, Franks attended Minchenden Grammar School in Southgate, leaving at the age of 16. She completed a shorthand typing course at Pitman's College and was a regular dancer on the popular music TV programme Ready Steady Go! Franks initially worked in various secretarial jobs before taking up a journalistic role at Petticoat, working under Eve Pollard and alongside Janet Street-Porter. Whilst assigned to write for and edit the Freemans in-house publications, she met Paul Howie, an Australian fashion buyer and designer, whom she subsequently married.
Following a brief stint as a PR assistant, and at the encouragement of the fashion designer Katharine Hamnett, Franks started her own PR agency at the age of 21, with her first clients including Hamnett's own fashion business, Tuttabankem, and Wendy Dagworthy. Working initially from her own kitchen table, Franks's success soon had the new agency moving into increasing larger premises in the Covent Garden area of London.
In the summer of 1974, she supported her husband in setting up Howie, a menswear store on Fulham Road. Although the store was initially successful, its location, right next to the football ground of Chelsea F.C. made it difficult to attract the more fashion-conscious shoppers on most Saturday afternoons. In 1976, the business, now renamed Mrs Howie, was moved to the Covent Garden area of London, becoming one of the first fashion stores and designer studios in that area. With the shop featuring designs from many of London's new and established fashion designers, and with Franks herself in the perfect position to secure plenty of favourable media and press coverage, the boutique was a successful part of London's booming fashion industry.
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