Red or Dead is a

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashi ...

and

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ...

, started in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1982 by married couple Gerardine Hemingway and Wayne Hemingway. They design products such as

shoes A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the Foot, human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from cult ...

spectacles Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples or ...

, bags and watches.

History

In 1982, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway opened a stall on Camden Market, London to sell items from their wardrobes. Within a year they had expanded to sixteen stalls of second-hand clothes, purchased from all over the world.History of Red or Dead
on official website The company's name (Red or Dead) refers both to an inversion of the Cold War slogan "

Better dead than red "Better red than dead" and "better dead than red" were dueling Cold War slogans which first gained currency in the United States during the late 1950s, amid debates about anti-communism and nuclear disarmament (red being the emblematic color of c ...

", and to Wayne's indigenous Canadian ancestors. The Hemingways began making and retailing their own designs. Red or Dead became popular with some young pop artists of the late 80'S, including

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

, Bros, Jason Donovan and Brother Beyond. Wayne Hemingway later explained their goal "to be the first designer company that sold to everyday people".

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fashion wee ...

snubbed them at first on the grounds that

designer fashion Designer clothing is expensive luxury clothing considered to be high quality and haute couture for the general public, made by, or carrying the label of, a well-known fashion designer. Brands Designer clothing is not always created by the foun ...

was meant to be

elitist Elitism is the belief or notion that individuals who form an elite—a select group of people perceived as having an intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, power, notability, special skills, or experience—are more likely to be constr ...

, but later relented, and Red or Dead won the British Fashion Council's Streetstyle Designer of the Year Award from 1995 to 1997. In 1995 they sold the brand to

Stephen Hinchliffe Stephen Leonard Hinchliffe (born 2 January 1950, in Sheffield) is an English businessman from Sheffield who was the founder of the former retail empire Facia group, which had up to 850 stores before it collapsed in 1996. He has been a director of ...

's Facia Group. Facia collapsed the next year, and receivers sold Red or Dead back to the Hemingways. At that time it was counted as "one of the UK's leading fashion chains", employing more than 100 people. In 1998, Red or Dead was sold to the Pentland Group.

Red or Dead products

Red or Dead expanded its product base and it currently includes footwear, clothing, fashion handbags, optical frames, swimwear and "glorious gussets" hosiery. The brand is also used on fragrance from The Perfume Shop and fashion versions of Raleigh bicycles.Product pages on official website. Retrieved 21 August 2012. In the UK, Red or Dead's footwear range was exclusively sold through the Schuh chain of stores, but the brand is no longer listed by Schuh. It is not clear whether the range is currently available elsewhere.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Red Or Dead Shoe brands Companies established in 1982 Watch brands 1982 establishments in England

History

Red or Dead products

References

Further reading

External links