Tommy Roberts: Mr. Freedom: British Design Hero

by Paul Gorman, Tommy Roberts (Illustrator)

At the apex of 1960s British fashion, Tommy Roberts was one of the premier designers to the rock royalty and stars of the era. Jimi Hendrix's famous frilly shirts were bought from Roberts' first boutique Kleptomania, on Carnaby Street; when Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton went public as a couple, they commissioned Roberts to create matching T-shirts; the iconic Zodiac cape worn by Mick Jagger at Altamont was a Roberts creation; Elton John's outfit for his first Rolling Stone cover in 1971 came from Roberts' legendary Mr Freedom boutique; Roberts' City Lights Studio provided David Bowie with the suit he wore on the rear cover of his 1973 album Pin-Ups. "He did it first, time after time," Sir Paul Smith says of Roberts, who was indeed the first designer to incorporate Walt Disney cartoons and Pop art into fashion; the first to open a boutique in Covent Garden; and the first to overtly blur the professional distinctions between fashion and music by managing Ian Dury's art-rock band Kilburn & The High Roads (thus providing the precedent for Malcolm McLaren's transition from fashion into music, with his management of the Sex Pistols). Roberts' influence continued into the 1980s with cutting-edge home-ware and furniture design store Practical Styling, in the 1990s with Tom-Tom and in the 2000s with Two Columbia Road, selling furniture and artifacts. Mr. Freedom is a visual celebration of this fashion and design pioneer. With unlimited access to Roberts' and his archive, it compiles hundreds of archival images (both classic and previously unpublished) alongside a stellar cast of contributors, providing a revelation of fashion, design and pop culture from the 1960s to the 2000s. (20120501)

160 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2012

Reviews

[Roxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read, this book covers the life, work and legacy of the late Tommy Roberts. Before reading I didn't know anything at all about him beyond his involvement in Mr Freedom and City Lights, but after reading I felt quite enlightened and inspired. Roberts was a pioneer ahead of his time on many fronts, throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond, and this beautifully presented and well-researched book is a fitting testament to his legacy.