’s new documentary about the trailblazing British fashion designer. In it, the young Quant is on a parade float surrounded by balloons, her face lit up with a mischievous smile. It’s one of Frost’s favourites. “You saw right there that she was a real spark of energy,” says the actor, producer and director, who makes her feature-length debut with– a labour of love and a tribute to the 91-year-old designer’s enduring influence.
Frost felt an affinity with Quant and the 60s style she could trace back to her childhood, when her own fashion-forward mother dressed her and her sister in typical looks of the decade. “It must have been in my headlights subliminally,” says Frost, who was initially approached by the production company Goldfinch Entertainment to make the film.
A successful businesswoman and mother in addition to agenda-setting designer, Quant built a brand that survived decades, creating makeup as well as clothing. Frost’s own experience with Frost French, the cult label she co-founded with childhood friend Jemima French in 1999, gave her a special insight into the nuts and bolts of being a fashion designer. “I saw how hard it is to license and to work with investors,” she says.
“She was in some ways a machine in the world of fashion, to do all these things and collections,” says Frost. “But then she had such a human story, with her being such a tender mother.” Among the commentators in the film – which range from the Kinks’ Dave Davies to Pattie Boyd – is Quant’s son Orlando, from her marriage to sweetheart and impresario Alexander Plunket Greene.
Famously camera-shy and now in her 90s, Quant does not appear in the film. But though she is not in front of the camera, the entire feature is a love letter to her personality and accomplishments. As for whether she has seen the film, Frost has heard that she has, and given it her blessing – the ultimate seal of approval.
Sadieliza Looking forward to seeing it