Zandra Rhodes is a true British original, as integral to the creative iconography of British culture as Bowie, Ab Fab and the Spice Girls; an independent fashion designer who kick-started her career as a student on the Pop Art scene with David Hockney in London the 1960s; who built a successful global fashion empire in the 70s and 80s beloved by Jackie Kennedy, Freddie Mercury, Diana Ross, Princess Diana and Cher; and who, in the face of dwindling popularity in the 90s when her exuberant prints were no match for the grunge and minimalism trends of the era, pivoted to launch the Fashion and Textile Museum and designing costumes for the opera. 

The through line to all of this has been her innovative use of sketch and pattern as a founding block of her design; a love of travel and a delight in absorbing the world around her into her work; and her deep-rooted friendships with the likes of artists Andrew Logan, David Sassoon and Duggie Fields. Diagnosed with cancer in 2020, the electric-pink haired  Dame Zandra has defied the grim diagnosis and remains as exuberant and erudite as ever, quick to throw out a throaty chuckle and share a salty anecdote with her trademark gregariousness. As The Holburne Musuem in Bath, England, stages a retrospective of her famous prints, the 85-year old takes a moment out of her jam-packed schedule to talk to Danielle Radojcin about just what it is that makes her keep on keeping on…