User:LadyC66/sandbox

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]] EARL OF BEDLAM Earl of Bedlam is an independent fashion line founded on fine tailoring. Based in Kennington, South London it takes its name - and a certain unconventional spirit - from the Bethlehem Hospital that was once in the nearby Imperial War Museum.

HISTORY Founded in 2010 by Mark Wesley and Caroline Butler ("Lady C") it took a shop at the Oval end of the Clapham Road which had its opening party in May 2011. The two met while launching a UK label for which Mark was designing and she was writing. While promoting that in New York, they booked Sid & Nancy’s suite at the Chelsea Hotel to showcase the clothes and were summoned by Vogue to present there. It was then they decided to put their efforts into themselves. “Gangs of New York with an Oliver Twist” was their original script. The former of those stories was set in Five Points on the Lower East Side of New York. They then discovered that their Kennington was historically known as “Five Bridges”. In November 2011 they were invited by Dr Paul Ryan to take part in his exhibition at Mansion House, the Lord Mayor of London's palace. The title was "Expansive Mood" a term used in the description of the bi-polar condition. Ryan considered their clothes to be appropriate wear for the most confident state of mind. In October 2012 they closed the shop to move to a by-appointment studio in Bedlam Mews, closer to their namesake.

BIOGRAPHY The label is Goldsmith College trained Mark Wesley and his partner Caroline Butler. Mark left school in Catford, SE London, at the age of fifteen and became a face at the West End clubs of the early 80s that were fusing music and fashion. He taught himself to sew in order to have the best outfit at the MUD club each week. He began making clothes for friends and then enrolled for his Fashion Foundation course at Goldsmiths. Needing to pause the party he settled on the Cote d’Azur where he used local tailors and factories to make small runs of clothes under the name “Sex & Violence”, supplying stores along the coast and in Paris. Caroline started her nightclub career while still at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), hosting the smokey VIP lounge at Heaven, under the arches at Charing Cross. She sang and presided over a jam session that became a portable fiesta, moving around London night clubs such as the Wag and Limelight. This led to her working in the music business, managing Moving Shadow Records, where she worked with Goldie, before having her own label Partisan Recordings. She went on to be Marketing Director at One Little Indian, with a tribe of rare artists known for their daring and style, most famously Björk. She managed various artists including Sneaker Pimps. Like Mark, she adored the theatre of this life and its opportunities for dressing up and nightly reinvention.

SIGNATURE STYLE Earl of Bedlam uses only the finest British fabrics. Their first full collection, "Hell for Leather" (Autumn / Winter 2013) was created in collaboration with Huddersfield Fine Worsteds. HFW holds the Royal Warrant from HM Queen Elizabeth II for woolen cloth and their John G. Hardy “Alsport” tweed was used for the majority of pieces in the collection. Another of their lines is the J & J Minnis range from which the chalk stripe flannel was chosen to make the “Tectonic” - a double breasted suit whose plates have shifted so that the lines run at angles across the body. A staple of Savile Row, the company chose to work with us for such lateral cutting, design that uses their fabrics in a reinvigorating way. The other revered name from their stable that features in the collection is Harris Tweed, so sought after that every label has a unique serial number. AW Hainsworth is another of their suppliers. Founded in 1783 and supplying the British army since 1810, it is still family owned. Bedlam is honoured by the support of these heritage names but not intimidated by their tradition. The pret-a-porter collection builds on what Bedlam offers its bespoke clients – elegance with edge, irreverent inspiration taken from enduringly impeccable templates. Real horn or plaited leather buttons, silk linings, working cuffs, top quality finish are signature details along with the Clink Street prison gaoler's handcuff motif. All Bedlam pieces are made entirely in their London workshop or at the Cooper Stollbrand factory in Manchester, a bastion of British production. Earl of Bedlam has an admiration for antique styling and an old fashioned respect that believes being well turned out is the compliment you pay not just yourself but everyone you encounter on your daily adventure.

REFERENCES The October 2012 edition of Jocks and Nerds magazine featured an interview with musician / producer Nile Rodgers illustrated with a photograph of him wearing the "Duke Ellington" suit they made for him.