Jasper Conran facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jasper Conran
|
|
|---|---|
Conran in 2004
|
|
| Born |
Jasper Alexander Thirlby Conran
12 December 1959 London, England
|
| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Education |
|
| Alma mater | Parsons School of Art and Design |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Spouse(s) |
Oisin Byrne
(m. 2015) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives |
|
| Awards | Order of the British Empire |
Jasper Conran (born 12 December 1959) is a famous British designer. He creates beautiful clothes for women and stylish items for homes. He also designs amazing costumes and sets for ballet, opera, and theatre shows.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jasper Conran is the second son of Sir Terence Conran, who was also a designer, and Shirley Pearce, an author. His parents divorced when he was two years old.
He went to Port Regis School and Bryanston School in the 1970s. He also studied art and design at the Parsons School of Art and Design in New York, United States.
Designing a Career
Jasper Conran started his design journey in New York City. His very first collection was for a store called Henri Bendel.
Starting His Own Brand
In 1978, when he was just 19 years old, Jasper Conran launched his first collection of women's clothes under his own name. The next year, he became part of the London Designer collections. This was a big step for him.
In 1985, he designed his first collection for men. He also designed the wedding dress for Princess Margaret's daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto, in 1994. He even designed clothes for Diana, Princess of Wales.
Working with Big Brands
Jasper Conran has worked with many different companies.
- In 1989, he teamed up with Land Rover Ltd. He helped design the inside of the new Land Rover Discovery car.
- In 1999, he started designing fancy glasses for Stuart Crystal and later for Waterford Crystal.
- In 2001, he launched a collection of fine plates and dishes for Wedgwood.
- Since 1996, he has designed many items for the Debenhams department store chain in the UK. This includes women's clothes, accessories, underwear, menswear, children's clothes, and items for the home.
- He has also created furniture, fabrics, and wallpaper for Designers Guild. Plus, he has his own perfumes and luggage lines.
- In 2004, Conran designed a collection of fireplaces for Chesney's.
- In 2008, he launched his own eyewear collection called Jasper Conran Optical.
Leadership Roles
Jasper Conran has held important leadership positions. He was a Governor at Bryanston School from 2007 to 2009. He also served as a trustee for The Architecture Foundation and the Wallace Collection.
He is the chairman and chief executive of Jasper Conran Holdings Ltd. In 2011, he became the creative director of The Conran Shop. In 2012, he became its chairman. He worked for three years to make the business new and exciting again. In 2014, he became chairman of Conran Holdings Ltd, stepping down in 2015.
Writing and Hotels
In 2010, Jasper Conran published his first book, Jasper Conran Country. This book was a collection of photographs taken during a year of exploring the English countryside.
In 2016, he opened his first hotel in Marrakesh, Morocco, called L'Hotel Marrakech. This hotel has received many awards and has been listed as one of the best new hotels in the world by Condé Nast Traveler.
Jasper Conran has also been a member of the British Fashion Council many times. He is also a visiting professor at the University of the Arts London.
Designing for the Stage
Jasper Conran loves the performing arts. He has designed costumes and sets for fourteen different ballet, opera, and theatre shows.
Ballet and Opera Works
He worked with David Bintley on the Royal Ballet's show Tombeaux. He also designed for several shows by the Birmingham Royal Ballet, including The Nutcracker Sweeties and Arthur Part I & II. He designed sets and costumes for The Compleat Consort for the Bayerisches Staatsballett in Germany.
Other projects include the play My Fair Lady, directed by Simon Callow. He also designed for Donizetti's opera Maria Stuarda for ENO. For the Scottish Ballet, he designed for Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.
In 1991, Jasper Conran won a special award called the Laurence Olivier Award for Costume Design. He won it for his work on the play The Rehearsal.
List of Productions
- The Rehearsal, Jean Anouilh, 1991 (Laurence Olivier Award, 1991)
- My Fair Lady, Simon Callow, 1992
- Tombeaux, David Bintley, 1993, Royal Opera House
- Sleeping Beauty, Galina Samsova, 1994, Scottish Ballet
- Brahms/Handel Variations, David Bintley, 1994, Birmingham Royal Ballet
- Stravinsky Symphony in C, 1994, Bavarian State Opera, Munich
- The Complete Consort, David Bintley, 1994, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Munich
- Swan Lake, Galina Samsova, 1995, Scottish Ballet
- Edward II, David Bintley, 1995, Birmingham Royal Ballet
- The Nutcracker Sweeties, David Bintley, 1996, Birmingham Royal Ballet
- Maria Stuarda, Donizetti, 1998, English National Opera
- The Shakespeare Suite, David Bintley, 1999, Birmingham Royal Ballet
- Arthur Part I, David Bintley, 2000, Birmingham Royal Ballet
- Arthur Part II, David Bintley, 2001, Birmingham Royal Ballet
- Within the Golden Hour, Christopher Wheeldon, 2019, Royal Opera House
Personal Life and Homes
In December 2015, Jasper Conran married Irish artist and performer Oisin Byrne.
Jasper Conran enjoys buying and restoring old English houses. He has owned several beautiful historic homes, including Flemings Hall in Bedingfield, Suffolk, and Ven House in Milborne Port, Somerset. In 2017, he bought the manor house at Bettiscombe in Dorset.
Awards and Recognition
Jasper Conran has received many awards for his design work:
- 1982: Fil d'Or International Linen Award
- 1983: Fil d'Or International Linen Award
- 1986: Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council
- 1987: Fashion Group of America Award
- 1991: The Laurence Olivier Award for 'Costume Designer of the Year' – Jean Anouilh's "The Rehearsal"
- 1991: The British Fashion Council's British Collections Award
- 2003: 'The Prince's Medal', Homes and Gardens Classic Design Award
- 2004: Honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University
- 2005: The Design and Decoration 'Objects of Desire' Award
- 2006: Honorary doctorate at the University of East Anglia.
- 2006: Homes and Gardens 'Classic Design' Award
- 2008: Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours for services to retail industry.
- 2011: Condé Nast Traveller:Innovation & Design Award for 'Style on the Move' with Tripp Luggage
