 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Footwear Optician |
| Founded | 1982; 43 years ago (1982) |
| Headquarters | London,UK |
| Products | Shoes,glasses |
| Brands | Specsavers |
| Parent | Pentland Group |
| Website | redordead.com |
Red or Dead was afashion designer andmanufacturer, started inLondon in 1982 by married couple Gerardine Hemingway andWayne Hemingway. They designed products such asshoes,spectacles,bags andwatches.
In 1982, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway opened a stall onCamden Market, London to sell items from their wardrobes.[1] Within a year they had expanded to sixteen stalls ofsecond-hand clothes, purchased from all over the world.[2] The company's name (Red or Dead) refers both to an inversion of theCold War slogan "Better dead than red", and to Wayne'sindigenous Canadian ancestors.[1]
The Hemingways began making and retailing their own designs. Red or Dead became popular with some young pop artists of the late 80's, includingKylie Minogue,Bros,Jason Donovan andBrother Beyond. Wayne Hemingway later explained their goal "to be the first designer company that sold to everyday people".London Fashion Week snubbed them at first on the grounds thatdesigner fashion was meant to beelitist, but later relented, and Red or Dead won theBritish Fashion Council's Streetstyle Designer of the Year Award, from 1995 to 1997.[1][2]
In 1995 they sold the brand toStephen Hinchliffe's Facia Group.[3] 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.[4]
In 1998, Red or Dead was sold to thePentland Group.[5] Pentland Group's accounts for 2022 listed Red or Dead as a "hibernated business".[6]
Red or Dead expanded its product base and, as of 2012, it included footwear, clothing, fashion handbags, optical frames, swimwear and "glorious gussets" hosiery. The brand was also being used on fragrance fromThe Perfume Shop and fashion versions ofRaleigh bicycles.[7]
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.
