Establishment of the label
Graham Fraser and Richard Nott founded Workers for Freedom in 1985; the name sounded radical but they said it was chosen because they hoped it would give them the freedom to work for themselves.[6] Describing the inspiration for the name in 1987, Fraser said it was about: "artistic and financial freedom to develop without the restraints imposed by big business".[3]
The duo were in their 30s when they established the brand, and with substantial fashion industry experience. Richard Nott had been a fashion lecturer at Kingston Polytechnic, before which he worked for Valentino in Italy. Graham Fraser, meanwhile, had worked for a variety of fashion retailers, including the boutique Feathers, culminating in a merchandising role at Liberty where he was handling a budget of £10m.[3]
Both had, at one time, worked with the leading 1970s designer Christopher McDonnell – Fraser was in a business partnership with him at Marrian-McDonnell for a short period while Nott spent a nine-month spell as assistant.[7][8] Indeed, The Times fashion editor Prudence Glynn tipped Nott for the top in 1972, describing him as: "an exceptionally promising new design talent" and noting that his graduation show had attracted considerable interest from Marc Bohan at Dior.[8]
Fraser and Nott were partners in their private and professional lives; in a feature about successful fashion couples – also featuring the husband and wife behind Clements Ribeiro – The Guardian said the pair had been a couple for a decade before finally deciding to work together on their own brand.[9]
A 1990 profile, by which time Fraser was 41 and Nott 42, gave a bit more detail about their industry experience. Fraser had trained as an accountant and worked at both high-end and mass market retailers – with stints as a buyer for Harrods and Wallis – before joining Liberty. Nott had trained at Kingston Polytechnic before working in Italy and then moving into academia back at Kingston.[4] A loan of £15,000 from a bank had enabled them to set up a small company – initially producing men's shirts and sweaters – before the label expanded into womenswear.[4] They also had a private financial backer and the label was founded with hands-on assistance from ex-Calvin Klein staffer Sarah Mayhew-Coomber and her husband Stephen.[10]
The brand's store was at 4/4a Lower John Street, Soho.[11] It comprised just 280sq ft of selling space.[12] Their first catwalk show took place in March 1987.[12]
Early design hallmarks
Early ranges that came to the attention of the national press included tasselled waistcoats, peasant-style skirts, chunky jumpers and cardigans and fringed woollen shawls worn with deep-crowned felt hats.[13] Describing their global inspirations, The Times wrote: "They started with middle-European cowboys, travelled through Mediterranean ports and Bavarian hunting lodges and are about to wade through a Mississippi swamp. This may sound like an excerpt from an Indiana Jones movie but is, in fact, a run through the themes Workers for Freedom, the London designers, have used for their collections and shop decor since they opened in October 1985.[12] Noting that the label's biggest seller in autumn/winter 1986 was a double-layer chiffon skirt and the current season's reprise of this concept was a shirtwaister in chiffon and lace, the article said that the label had proved that: "young fashion need not be outrageous, unflattering or unaffordable". It also said that Fraser and Nott had, thus far, avoided PR launches and other attention-grabbing tactics only to find themselves at the centre of media interest.[12]
