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| Granny London | |
| Industry | Fashion |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Headquarters | London ,United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people | Marlot te Kiefte | (CEO) |
| Website | www.granny.london |
51°28′54″N0°10′52″W / 51.481785°N 0.181°W /51.481785; -0.181
Granny Takes a Trip was aboutique opened in February 1966 at 488Kings Road,Chelsea, London, byNigel Waymouth, his girlfriend Sheila Cohen and John Pearse.[1] The shop, which was acquired byFreddie Hornik in 1969, remained open until the mid-1970s and has been called the "firstpsychedelic boutique in Groovy London of the 1960s".[2]
It was also the name of aPurple Gang song of the 1960s, which was named after the store and banned by the BBC.[3]
The name has been appropriated by clothing stores around the world that are not connected with the original Granny Takes a Trip, including present-day vintage fashion stores inHermosa Beach, California,Sunset Boulevard andSydney, Australia.
The boutique was the brainchild of two young Londoners, Nigel Waymouth and Sheila Cohen, who were looking for an outlet for Cohen's ever-increasing collection of antique clothes. Waymouth, a freelance journalist, came up with the name and was offered the premises at 488Kings Road,Chelsea, London, a previously unfashionable part of the road known as theWorld's End.[4] In the summer of 1965, John Pearse who had trained as a tailor onSavile Row, agreed to join them in the venture. The shop opened in early 1966.[5]
By the spring of 1966, the shop had achieved worldwide renown, including a feature inTime magazine "London: The Swinging City".[6] They paved the way for many of the designer boutiques that followed, such as Mr. Freedom, Alkasura, Let It Rock, and later the more ambitious enterprises ofMalcolm McLaren andVivienne Westwood andPaul Smith. Over the next eight years the shop clothed London's fashionable young men and women, including many major rock performers. A constant stream of people visited the shop, especially on Saturdays during the weekly King's Road Parade.
Initially the ambience was a mixture of New Orleansbordello[5] and futuristic fantasy. Marbled patterns papered the walls, with rails carrying an assortment of brightly coloured clothes. Lace curtains draped the doorway of its singlechanging room, and a beaded glass curtain hung over the entrance at the top of steps, which led on into the shop. In the back room, anart decoWurlitzer blasted out a selection of music.
The shop became known for its changing façade. In 1966 it featured successively giant portraits of Native American chiefsLow Dog andKicking Bear. In 1967 the entire front was painted with a giant pop-art face ofJean Harlow.[2] That was later replaced by an actual 1948 Dodge saloon car which appeared to crash out from the window and onto the forecourt.[7]
By the end of the decade, the partnership had lost momentum. Nigel Waymouth had become involved in poster and album cover design work, as one half ofHapshash and the Coloured Coat withMichael English (which then evolved into a musical group), and John Pearse left for Italy[8] to work withthe Living Theatre group.
In late 1969, Cohen and Waymouth sold the business to London fashion entrepreneurFreddie Hornik, who had previously worked at Chelsea'sDandie Fashions.[7] For a few months the previous year this had beenthe Beatles short-lived bespoke store Apple Tailoring.
Hornik brought in two New Yorkers,Gene Krell andMarty Breslau,[4] and the team introduced a new, more dandified phase with rhinestone andappliquéd velvet suits and stack-heeled boots sold to such performers asRod Stewart,Ronnie Wood andKeith Richards.[4]
The London shop closed in 1974[4] with the acquisition of the name by Byron Hector, who moved the premises along the King's Road. This was closed in 1979.
Hornik retired to south London. He died, aged 65, on 19 February 2009.[4]
On April 10 2024, Granny Takes a Trip was relaunched as an online store backed byThe Rolling Stones, amongst other private investors.[9] CEO Marlot te Kiefte relaunched the brand, offering a garment rental service as well as retail, taking inspiration from the original boutique in their designs. Granny London stopped trading in October 2024.
