Russell & Robert meet the LEGENDARY Dame Zandra Rhodes DBE!!! We celebrate more than 50 years of creativity and FABULOUS!!!

We discuss childhood memories of her mother and growing up in Kent, her early experiments with textile design and printmaking inspired by Andy Warhol and travelling to America in 1969 which led to her huge success during the 1970s. We discover her memories of designing clothes for icons as varied as Princess Diana and Freddy Mercury, her friendship with Andrew Logan and Divine plus making numerous costumes for The Alternative Miss World!!! In this special episode, Zandra remembers her dear friend the artist Duggie Fields who passed away in March 2021. We explore Duggie's artworks, including the first painting Zandra bought from him in 1967, and we celebrate his influence on her work, their lasting friendship and ongoing legacy.

Dame Zandra Rhodes has been a notorious figurehead of the UK fashion industry for five decades, celebrating her 50th year in fashion in September 2019 with a retrospective exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum – founded by Zandra – entitled Zandra Rhodes: 50 Years of Fabulous and a retrospective book published by Yale. Her notoriety as a print designer combined with an affinity for fine fabrics and colour has resulted in a signature aesthetic that is undeniably unique and continues to stand the test of time.

An eponymous pioneer of the British and international fashion scene since the late 60’s, Zandra’s career has seen her collaborate with brands such as Valentino, Topshop and Mac Cosmetics. Continuing to collaborate with brands that inspire her, 2021 will see the launch of Zandra Rhodes x IKEA amongst many other exciting partnerships and projects.

Follow @Zandra_Rhodes_ on Instagram. Visit Zandra's official website: https://ZandraRhodes.com/ To learn more about the work of Duggie Fields visit http://www.DuggieFields.com/ or @DuggieFields on Instagram. Visit the Fashon Textile Museum in London's Bermondsey: https://www.FTMLondon.org/ and their instagram @FashionTextileMuseum

For images of all artworks discussed in this episode visit @TalkArt. Talk Art theme music by Jack Northover @JackNorthoverMusic courtesy of HowlTown.com We've just joined Twitter too @TalkArt. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. For all requests, please email [email protected]

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