Following Her Majesty’s passing, fashion and textile designer Richard Quinn took the decision to completely recreate the show for his 2023 Spring/Summer collection.
Working tirelessly with his team, stylist Katie Grand, styling consultant Oliver Volquardsen, producer Sophie Marriot and the team at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley Hall, Quinn redesigned the show dedicating it and his entire collection to Her Majesty The Queen “who touched him and so many others with her grace and kindness.” Quinn’s words were echoed on the place names of each guest accompanied by a single rose in Schiaparelli pink.
Set producer James Quinn, Richard’s brother, said “The Queen meant a lot to Richard. Having been given the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design four years ago by Her Majesty, it spring boarded the business into the limelight. Therefore, it was important for us to do something fitting to say thank you.”
The show was originally due on Sunday 18th however with the world in mourning Quinn didn’t feel it appropriate to keep the date and instead moved it to the 20th following the funeral. James continued “it would have been a much easier decision to cancel, many others did, but that was never an option for us. We have worked with our suppliers and the venue for years and wholeheartedly value everything they do for us. They are all part of our extended team, and we weren’t going to let them down, in fact they all relished the challenge and bent over backwards to make it a success.”
With the original show devised and created three months ago, the team had their work cut out to produce something completely different in just nine days. In his studio Quinn designed and printed a huge monochrome floral print for the entrance foyer, as opposed to the bright colours for which he is renowned. Black drapes encased the boxed runway; flowers were toned down and placed on black pedestals and background music replaced a live DJ. The set was reconfigured to encompass a huge 3 ½ metre globe covered in CCTV cameras interspersed with monitors.
James said, “the original idea was to show that we’re all being watched, but with the Queen’s passing it highlighted the fact that she was constantly surveyed by the world from an early age, with little choice in the matter.” The monitors featured footage of The Queen over the years and some of the CCTV cameras filmed the show. The start of the event featured models dressed head to toe in black, designs that were also imagined and made within the nine days, creating Richard’s personal mourning procession for The Queen. Hairdresser Sam McKnight designed a style for the models echoing Queen Victoria and makeup was minimal and subdued. There was no after party.
Venue sales executive Diane Worcester of the Royal Horticultural Halls said “Everyone at the Royal Horticultural Halls loves to be part of creative events, which is exactly what the Quinn team delivers time and again. As a charity of Royal patronage, we have a synergy with Richard Quinn and were up for the challenge to rework the schedule to pay a beautiful tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II.”
It was the third time Quinn has used the Royal Horticultural Halls for his shows. James Quinn finished by saying “aside from the horticultural brand alignment, we know the team at the Halls so well and they are a pleasure to work with, like our other trusted suppliers they are a big part of our extended set.”
