Patrick Cox
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Patrick Cox | |
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| Born | March 19, 1963  Edmonton, Alberta Province, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian/Naturalised British |
| Education | London College of Fashion (Formerly Cordwainer's Technical College) |
| Labels | Patrick Cox Charles Jourdan |
| Awards | Major awards:
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Patrick Cox is a Canadian-British fashion designer and an eponymous fashion label specialized in the creation of shoes, leather goods and accessories. Cox is most noted for the use of unusual materials and a mixture of Avant-garde and traditional styles.
Born 19th March, 1963, in Edmonton, Canada, Cox was educated locally, except for periods when his father's work led the family to postings in Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon. At eight years old, his parents divorced and his father left the country again. Cox graduated from school and moved to Toronto.
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[edit] Early Career
At the age of 19, Cox produced his first pair of shoes, for the Toronto-based designer Loucas Kleanthous, who suggested Cox consider a career as a designer. An interest in British fashion led Cox to study at Cordwainer's Technical College, London, a design school that was absorbed into the London College of Fashion in 2000. Cox studied at Cordwainer's from 1983 to 1985.
During his time as a student, Cox became a member of a group of London socialites commonly referred to as the "World's End Gang". The group was headed up by leading fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and members of this group prided themselves on their appearance. As a result, in 1984, Westwood asked Cox to design shoes to go with her "Clint Eastwood" collection. One of the shoes that Cox created, incorporated a 9 inch heel that would become the prototype of a pair later worn by the English supermodel, Naomi Campbell, when she fell during a Westwood fashion show in Paris, France in 1993.
[edit] Working life
Cox set up his own company designing shoes in 1985 and in 1986, designed the shoes for John Galliano's "Fallen Angels" collection and subsequently launched his own Patrick Cox label, adopting the fleur-de-lis logo.
In 1991, Cox opened his first shop opposite the Peter Jones department store in Sloane Square, a well known fashion district of London. In 1993, Cox marketed his first collection designed for the mass market. The collection titled "Wannabe" increased the companies annual sales from £2000 to £200,000. In 1994, Cox opened his second store in Paris, followed by stores in London and New York City in 1995. During this time, Cox was twice awarded Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.
In 1998 Cox moved his production to Italy, where he has a design studio in a small town called Civitanova, in a region of Italy that is particularly noted for shoe manufacture.
In 2000, Cox was approached by the fashion house Charles Jourdan, and in January 2003 he was appointed Creative Director, his brief being to rejuvenate the brand. After 2 years of successful collaboration, Cox decided to move on and concentrate on the development of his own label.
In May 2008 the majority share of Patrick Cox's empire was sold to a private equity vehicle owned by Monaco based entrepreneur Edward Davenport for £2.5 million. The share had previously been owned by King Power, a Hong Kong based retailer. Ambitious plans are currently being put in place to expand the label in Europe and Asia into a leading men's wear brand anticipated to be valued at £40 million in 5 years with Patrick Cox on board as chief designer.
[edit] Clients and models
Patrick Cox's shoes and customised designs have been worn by models, celebrities and public figures including Madonna, Elton John, Cate Blanchett and Elizabeth Hurley.
[edit] Sources
- News Article - Timesonline, November 2007
- News Article - Telegraph.co.uk, 16th January, 2003
- News Article - International Herald Tribune, 26th July, 2005
- Biography of Patrick Cox - Historyoffashion.com
- Encyclopedia Article - Answers.com
